Harry Potter and the Seventh Horcrux
by Kjkit
Summary: Harry and his friends set off after the pieces of Voldemort's soul, facing dangers and revelations along the way. This is something that's been rattling around for a long time, and hope you all enjoy. R&R. COMPLETE!
1. The Promise

Here we go - another story that's been haunting me for merlin-knows how long. Before I get inundated with reviews, yes, I know how similar it runs to Deathly Hallows. However, I started this story months before JK finished hers, and whereas I mentally berate myself on how close the two stories run, I also hate to leave anything unfinished.

Things run simply, I'm not doing this for credit or profit, simply for pleasure. If you like it, let me know. If you don't, simply stop reading it. Whatever you think, I enjoy writing and plan on finishing this. Please feel free to see my profile for possible future stories as well.

Hope you enjoy. Kit. xxx

Chapter 1

Severus Snape glided up the slight incline towards his house, ignoring the rustling of curtains in the open windows of the red brick houses that he passed, but keeping a wary eye out for any unexplained shadows lurking in the dark gardens separated from the pot-holed street by rusted black railings.

The former potions master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was tired, but the night's hardships didn't seem to have an effect on his stride and his craving for a comfortable chair accompanied by a roaring fire and a large glass of red wine fuelled his veins with the strength to walk the final few yards.

A noise from behind him made his uncharacteristically wandering thoughts to plummet away from the simple pleasures he desired, and the night's events once more caused his chest to tighten and a wave of nausea to chill his already trembling body.

It seemed that he was not the only one to be cursed with sickness, as the sound of vomiting made him slow his pace and turn around. His gaze fell upon the figure of a young man, dressed in the uniform of the school he used to teach at. The silver haired boy was leaning against a crumbling wall, his white knuckled hand gripping the railing that run along it as he emptied his stomach for the third time that short trip.

Severus glanced about him, wand in hand, making sure that no-one had seen the two of them on the dark road before making his way over to the boy.

"Come, Draco." he said softly, "We are close to home. The sooner we can get there, the safer you will be."

The young man laughed, and spat after a couple of coughs. "SAFE?" he said with a laugh, panic in his eyes. "Where can I ever be safe? Don't you realise what you just did? He _knows!_ It was supposed to be _me_, Severus. Don't you understand? He'll kill me. And mother. And there is nothing you can do about it."

"I'm fully aware of what I just did, and don't need reminders from an unthinking and foolish boy like yourself. But there is no need to tempt fate, so get a move on."

Snape spun around and started striding once more for his house, before a quiet voice stopped him.

"Why did you do it?"

He froze, and swallowed hard before he turned around.

"I made a promise." he said in an equally subdued tone.

"To my mother?" Draco asked, taking a couple of steps closer. "She made you take the Vow didn't she… I know she did. Aunt Bella told me."

Snape looked at him.

"So why ask?"

Draco shrugged and moved closer still. "I was confused for a long time, about where your loyalties lay. I…" he hesitated, hanging his head so that he didn't have to look at the tall, dark-haired figure in front of him. "I guess I expected… even hoped, that you were something different."

Snape almost smiled slightly to himself, before a slight breeze that had picked up rustled his robes and reminded him that they were still vulnerable and in the open.

He placed a hand on Draco's drooped shoulder, and stayed silent until the boy's eyes met his own.

"Yes, I did make a promise to your mother." he said. "But most importantly, I made a promise to myself that I would no longer follow the instructions of one who does not have my respect. Like a true Slytherin, all of my promises are made only to those who hold my trust, no matter what side they are on."

He watched as confusion crossed over his young protégé's face.

"Come." he repeated, indicating the house behind him. "We have a lot to discuss, and many things that I believe you should hear before you make any more foolish pledges."


	2. Welcome to Misery

Chapter 2:

Harry sighed as he stared out of the grimy window at the countryside whizzing by, the image of the English countryside marred by the reflection of scruffy dark hair that would not lie flat, deep emerald green eyes, and the characteristic lightning-bolt scar he had received as a child from one of the darkest wizards to have lived.

His eyes were focused not on his reflection, but on an undefined spot in the distance and every now and then a small smile would grace his face as another memory would cross his mind. Memories of his school life, of his friends and the adventures they had shared. Of his teachers, especially of one in particular who had helped him and held Harry's life over his own until the very last moment.

He sighed again and turned away from the window, knowing nothing could be done about the past and the prophecy had promised that his future wasn't going to get much better for him and the two friends that insisted upon sharing the journey.

Ronald Weasley sat in the chair next to him, his long legs sprawled in the aisle and his red tousled head resting against the back of his uncomfortable coach chair. Every now and then a soft snore would sound from his wide open mouth. Across the aisle he saw his other friend, Hermione Granger, the smartest student witch of Hogwarts. Her nose was, unsurprisingly, stuck in a thick book with a deep red leather binding and various bits of torn parchment sticking out of pages she thought relevant to her research.

Beside her on the spare chair in the row were piled three cages. In one sat Harry's large snowy owl, Hedwig, staring with half closed eyes at the antics of Ron's tiny hyperactive owl, Pig, whilst Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, was staring hungrily and the small bundle of feathers.

Hermione looked up when she sensed Harry's gaze and smiled at him. Her eyes moved to their snoring friend and she rolled her eyes. "How can you sleep in the same dorm with that?" she asked in a soft voice.

Harry shrugged. "Get used to it." he said with a smile. "Especially when you've got Neville and Seamus in the same room as well."

Hermione nodded. "Maybe I should get some rest now, before I'm sleep deprived for the next month and a bit."

Harry's lips parted in a grin, before his smile fell a little. "Were your parents okay… you know, with you not going home this summer?"

On the station he had left Ron and Hermione to face their parents alone, not wanting to see looks on the faces of their parents as they blamed him for taking their children away. He had met them just outside the muggle-side entrance of station 9 ¾'s, both of them dragging their trunks and trying to put on a brave face for their friend.

Hermione sighed and adjusted the book in her lap, absently smoothing out a non-existent crease in her skirt. "I think they think they've lost a daughter." she admitted. "I've been writing to them a lot over the past few weeks, and explained as much as I could to them last holiday, but I don't know if they'll ever really understand."

Harry nodded, knowing first hand from his aunt and uncle that there was an inability for non-magical folk to know what was going on in the magical world and how it could affect those who knew nothing about it. He briefly wondered if the inability to understand and perform magic was what had caused his mother and his aunt to fall out so many years before.

"I do really appreciate you and Ron coming with me." he said, glancing down to study the back of his hands and feeling his heart swell with the dedication his friends had for him and the quest he had ahead of him. He had realised over the weeks following Dumbledore's death, that no matter what was ahead of him, he thought himself to be lucky to have found such loyal friends. "I know Ron would probably shrug it off," he said. "but it gives me confidence knowing you two are going to be there."

He sensed movement beside him, and looked up to see Hermione leaning over the aisle, her hand reaching for his and an unnatural shine in her eyes.

"We wouldn't leave you, Harry." she said. "Whatever people say or think, you were never meant to face this alone."

Harry nodded, his heart filled with emotion at his friend's words. "Dumbledore always told me to keep you two close… I guess that means that I need you there whether I want you there or not. I certainly wouldn't have got through everything else without you or Ron helping me out."

"Oh, puh-lease" a grumpy voice said from between them. "Can you keep the soppiness out of this coach? Some of us are trying to sleep here!"

Both Harry and Hermione laughed, breaking the tension caused by the emotional moment, and Harry's bushy haired friend gave Ron a slight thwack on the side of his head as she leant back on her chair. "We're nearly there, anyhow" she said, pointing at a sign as they pulled off the motorway.

Ron stretched his hands above his head, his toes pointing as he stretched his legs past the seats in front of him and grunted as the person behind him kicked his seat to stop him fidgeting.

He glanced over his shoulder with a frown and muttered under his breath. "Why couldn't we have just apparated?"

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed in a sharp whisper, glancing around at their neighbouring travellers. Two old ladies in front glanced down their noses at her, and the teenager with torn jeans behind them was staring at her as if there was a funny smell in the coach. "You can't say that around muggles!"

Ron screwed his face up a little and sat up in his chair. "It's not as if they know what we're talking about." he said. "Besides, they were staring at us more when we first got on the coach. I mean, we packed three trunks on the coach when they had all those little canvas bag things on wheels. Not to mention we have two owls and a cat. I just think there's easier way of travelling than being stuck in cauldron on wheels like this."

"There probably is." Hermione said. "But until you and Harry go back to the ministry and take your exams, we're just going to have to do things the normal way."

"Normal for who?" Ron muttered.

"I'd get used to it." Harry said, shifting forward on his seat, and organising the rucksack he had at his feet so that they could escape the coach quickly as soon as they stopped. "My uncle won't take any "unnaturalness" when we're staying with him."

"I really don't know how you do it, Harry." Ron said. "Living all those years without mag… you-know-what." he amended his words at a sharp cough from Hermione.

Harry shrugged. "It was nothing to me." he said. "I only found out about my parents when I was eleven. I didn't know of any other way of life until I met Hagrid."

Ron laughed slightly. "And what a way to be introduced to your inheritance." he said.

The coach pulled into the station, and Harry heaved a deep sigh as the engine died.

"Well," he said at his friends' questioning looks. "Welcome to Misery."


	3. The Dursleys

Chapter 3.

Barely an hour later had them standing at the end of Privet Drive in the late afternoon sun, cages in hand and their trunks being dragged behind them.

"When you said that we were nearly there, I didn't exactly expect a four mile hike" Ron grumbled, putting Pig's cage on the floor for a moment as he fanned his sweat soaked t-shirt to cool himself down.

"Oh, quit complaining." Hermione returned, short tempered and just as hot. "It's not like we had enough money to get a taxi. At least not until we get to Diagon Alley to collect some funds and get some money exchanged."

Harry looked at his two friends, then let his gaze fall on the house that he was to call home for the last summer.

"Listen," he said, interrupting the heat-induced bickering. "I may not have had enough money on me for a taxi, but I do have a bit spare. How about we go get a drink and cool down a bit before we meet my uncle?"

Hermione and Ron looked at him, then glanced at each other.

"Sounds like a good plan…" Ron started, longing in his voice.

"But I think we ought to get the meet sorted out as soon as possible." Hermione finished. "Maybe we can come out and explore later once we're settled in?"

Harry shrugged, knowing they had seen through his attempt at putting off their meeting with his family. As he picked up Hedwig's cage again, he briefly wondered if they had agreed between themselves to try and cut down their bickering when around him. Either that, he thought, or they were finally realising their feelings for one another.

The final hundred yard walk between identical green lawns and immaculate flower beds passed all too quickly in Harry's opinion, and soon they were standing in front of the door to the Dursleys' the shining golden "4" staring back at Harry as he plucked up the courage to knock.

"It's what Dumbledore wanted." Hermione encouraged quietly.

"It's only for a few weeks, mate." Ron added. "And we aren't going anywhere."

Harry nodded, lifting his chin in determination and sharply dropping the brass knocker.

A few minutes later, and after hearing a couple of raised voices from inside, the door opened to reveal a hulk of a boy. Harry's eyebrows shot under his fringe, surprised that his cousin could have gotten any bigger than when he last saw him.

"Afternoon, Dudley." he said pleasantly, covering up his surprise. "I didn't expect you to be home. You pass your culinary exams early?"

His cousin merely narrowed his eyes and shouted over his shoulder to the living room. "MU-UM, the Freak's here. He's brought some friends." And with that, pushed past the group, pushing his shoulder firmly into Harry's and sending him backwards into Ron's chest.

"Dudley, where are you going?"

Harry turned to see his aunt standing in the doorway, wringing a duster in her hands and ignoring the three wizards as she watched her son walk down the drive.

"There is no way I'm spending any time in the house with _that_." he said over his shoulder. "I'm going over Piers'."

Harry sensed that his aunt had something to say about that, but instead she glared at her nephew and his friends, staring down her beak-like nose at them.

"And what are you doing here?"

"I need to stay until I turn of age." Harry said.

His aunt laughed. "You think you are going to be able to stay here? After everything that you have put us through these past years? Vernon will never allow it."

"Uncle Vernon doesn't have much say in the matter." Harry said coldly. "You don't need me to explain the reasons why I need to stay, and I can assure you that I'll be leaving as soon as I can. I have a lot to do this summer, and really don't want to be hanging around all that much. The sooner I can leave this house for good, the better I'm sure we'll all feel."

His aunt stared at him, her eyes flickering between the green orbs of her nephew's before she nodded slightly. "I will talk to Vernon. Until your birthday you say?"

"We'll be leaving a couple of days before." Harry said. "Ron's brother is getting married, and we promised we'd go help with setting up."

His aunt's eyes narrowed. "We?" she asked cautiously.

"My name's Hermione," she said, holding her hand out as a goodwill gesture. "and Ron and I will be staying with Harry this summer. We have a school project to work on together, and seeing Harry has to return here, we haven't much choice but to stay with him."

Petunia Dursley's head started to shake from side to side. "No. I will not have more of your… kind in this house."

"Think of it this way, Mrs Dursley," Ron said, watching wryly as Hermione dropped her ignored hand. "You'll have two of age wizards in your house, and Harry's probably exempt from any accidental spells he performs due to his fame. What safer way to spend the summer?"

Harry and Hermione glared at him as Harry's aunt gave a little shriek and started ushering them into the dim corridor, glancing nervously around at the non-existent neighbours as they entered and slamming the door behind them.

"You will not talk of such unnaturalness here, you understand?" Her voice was low, but shook with anger.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Petunia." Harry said. "Ron hasn't had much experience living with mug - uh, normal people. But he is right. Time's aren't safe right now, which is why they want to stay here with me. I'm sure if you'll allow it, and when uncle Vernon's not around, they could also help you with any household chores, gardening, redecorating… your house and garden will be the best on the block. You might just win that garden of the year prize again…"

"That prize was a hoax made by some jealous neighbour" she said venomously.

"Oh yeah," Harry said quietly, glancing guiltily at his friends as he remembered that Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix had set up the competition to get his relatives out of the house so that they could come and see him.

"Both of you are going to stay?" his aunt asked, and Ron and Hermione both nodded. "Where are you going to sleep?" she asked smugly. "Harry's room is barely big enough for one of you, let alone all three."

"Well, I was kinda hoping that Hermione could have my room, and Ron and I could have the guest room." Harry said. "We can easily conjure up a bed, it wouldn't cost you any more…"

"Not a chance." his aunt interrupted. "Vernon's sister is coming to stay for most of the summer whilst her house gets fumigated. She'll be taking the guest room. If your friends have to stay then you'll have to find a way to fit in your room, or else they'll have to stay elsewhere and you'll have to meet up during the day."

Harry glanced in dismay at his friends. "Aunt Marge is coming to stay?" he asked.

"Yes."

"All summer?"

"Yes."

Ron's eyes lit up. "Isn't she the one that you…" He broke off with a grunt as Hermione placed a well-aimed elbow into his ribs.

"I'm sure we can accommodate ourselves in Harry's room." she said graciously. "And I promise that we'll spend most of the time out of the house. We can provide all our own food and entertainment. All we need is a place to stay."

Harry's Aunt Petunia's face fell slightly at the girl's words, obviously hoping that the news of Harry's aunt and lack of sleeping space would be enough to deter them.

"I guess you'll be staying then." she said.

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Aunt Petunia," he said with relief. "We won't be any trouble."

She nodded sharply. "I don't want to hear any funny business coming from your room." she said, glancing pointedly at Hermione. "And don't give any reason for Vernon or Dudley to get mad."

She spun on her heel and continued back into the living room, leaving the three of them standing in the corridor.

"Hasn't she ever heard of silencing charms?" Ron asked seriously, causing the three of them to laugh knowing what he was implying.

"You going to be okay sleeping in the same room as us?" Harry asked his female friend as they once more gathered their belongings together.

"I guess I'll be experiencing Ron's snores first hand." she said with a slight smile. "But I don't see any real problems. I can always change in the bathroom and we'll only be in there to sleep anyhow."

Her positive attitude changed, however, when she saw how small Harry's room was.

"You can have the bed," Harry immediately said, trying to cover up his embarrassment at the sparsely decorated room. "Ron and I can settle on the floor under the window if we move the desk over by the cupboard. Unless, of course, you know any enlargement charms that wouldn't make the house look too odd…"

Hermione placed a hand on his arm to silence him, her gaze falling on the cat flap in the door, the various locks attached to the doorframe and the fairly recent repairs that had been made to the window when Ron and the twins had pulled the bars free.

"Oh Harry," she said. "I never realised."

"Realised what?" Harry said, pulling his arm away from hers roughly and wheeling his trunk into the corner of the room. "You've always known my relatives don't like me so why should this surprise you?"

Hermione shrugged slightly, allowing Ron to lift her trunk and putting it on the rickety desk before sliding his own underneath.

"I'm sorry Harry…" she started, but Harry held up his hand.

"Don't be." he said. "I may have an evil wizard after me, but I haven't turned out all that bad. And I may not have any family, but I do have people that care about me, and a place that I can call home." he looked around his room and then smiled at his friends. "It just not here."

Hermione smiled sadly back, and looked around, assessing their living space for the next several weeks.

"Well, I don't know any charms that would be able to make the changes we need without lighting up the ministry's monitors like the fourth of July. But, if we get Ron's mum to send us some blankets, we should be able to make you two a comfortable little love nest on the floor over there." she said, agreeing with Harry about the space under the window. "I'll send a letter with Pig to my parents and have them send me some more muggle funds for the summer. Maybe you could do the same with Hedwig and Gringotts? I'm sure with you being who you are and the dangers that are around they'll send you owl funds, probably even exchange it if you ask nicely enough."

"If not, Bill could probably organise it for you when he's up and about." Ron said. "Or at least know someone who could."

Harry nodded. Ron's brother Bill worked with the goblins as a curse breaker for the wizarding bank, but had been mauled by a werewolf when the Death Eaters had attacked Hogwarts.

"Then I guess we'd better get out of here and find a place to work over the next month." he said. "I don't know about you two, but if Aunt Marge is around, then I don't want to be. I might be brought before the Wizengamot for accidental magic again."

"Or even deliberate magic." Ron corrected.

Hermione looked around the room. "Well, there isn't much we can do here until we get some supplies." she said. "I suggest we send those owls off and go see what's around. Maybe we can find a local library or café where can spend our days."

Harry led the way back out of the room after pulling what muggle money he had left out of his rucksack. "The bathroom is at the end of the hall," he said, pointing across the landing. "My Aunt's room is next to it, with the spare room opposite. Dudley's room is next to mine…" he noticed Ron's eyes light up slightly as he leaned forward to see through the slight gap in the open door. "and any of your brothers' inventions can only be trialled on him during our last week." he said with a small smile, correctly interpreting the look that passed through his friend's eyes. "If we have to stay here, which we do, then I'd like to remain as far away from their attention as possible, especially when Aunt Marge gets here."

Ron looked a little dejected, but nodded when he saw the sense in Harry's plan. "Doesn't mean we can't start planning." he said, leading the way downstairs with a grin.

Hermione gave Harry a small laugh, her eyes sparkling with an excitement that he didn't think he had ever really noticed at school. Harry had a shocking revelation that she was going to enjoy planning against the Dursley's in repayment of the locks on the doors and the cat-flap, and winced as he imagined what sort of havoc could be caused with her intelligence and Ron's access to his brother's inventions.

At the top of the stairs Harry breathed deeply, his heart light as he watched Hermione skip down the stairs and gain on their gangly friend quickly, grabbing Ron by the shoulders and pushing him down the final couple of stairs.

Harry's peacefulness was short lived, however, as too late he saw the front door opening and watched as his friends noticed the danger but unable to stop themselves as they barrelled into Harry's stocky Aunt Marge, causing all three to unbalance and fall to the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" Harry heard his uncle call through the front door.

"I'm sorry Uncle Vernon." Harry called, running down the stairs noisily, wincing slightly as he could hear one of Marge's dogs yapping outside the door, most likely trying to get away from its leash so it could attack Harry's ankles. "They're with me."

"You -"

Harry kept a wary eye on his uncle's face as it turned puce, trying somewhat unsuccessfully to untangle his friends from his aunt.

"Vernon!" a shrill voice from the bottom of the pile said as Harry managed to get Hermione to her feet, both turning to pull Ron up from where he seemed to be hugging the larger lady beneath him. "What is going on here? Who are these people?"

"That is something I would like to know myself." Vernon said, his voice cold and surprisingly quiet which Harry knew was only one step short of a full explosion.

Harry helped Hermione steady Ron as he found his balance and watched as his uncle helped Marge up.

"They're part of the school's exchange programme." a voice from behind them said.

The attention of the group turned to Petunia as she marched her way down the hall.

"Don't you remember, Vernon? We had that visit from the headmaster of St Brutus' asking if we couldn't take in a couple of extra students for a couple of weeks this summer? In an attempt that Dudley's impeccable behaviour would rub off on them."

Ron gave a small growl and started to speak, but a tug on the back of his shirt silenced him as Harry took a step forward to take the full brunt of the tirade he was sure to follow.

"I never agreed to such a thing!" Vernon exclaimed, and he seemed unconcerned by his wife's warning glare.

"You forget, uncle." Harry said, stepping forward again. "My teacher, Dumbledore, stressed the need to be around a family environment, for my safety more than anything. You'll be happy to know that they have us performing community service." he continued, glancing at his uncle's sister as she glared through slitted eyes at them. "It's just in town, and they thought it would be best if we simply stayed here as it is so close. The favour is exchanged with the other families in the programme." he glanced at Hermione and Ron. "You won't see much of us at all, and we'll be moving in about a month."

A silent tension fell on the hallway, everyone intent on who would break first in the staring match between Harry and his overweight uncle.

"You can't seriously let the boy talk to you like that, Vernon!" Marge exclaimed, breaking the silence with her voice. "Why, in any respectable school they would've taken a cane to…"

A sharp crack filled the air and Vernon's fist connected with Harry's jaw.

The younger boy, unsuspecting of such an attack, felt a sharp pain in his neck as his head snapped back, his body falling against his friends who were unable to support his sudden weight and let him fall to the floor.

Within seconds their wands were up and pointed at Vernon, sending Marge into fits of girlish giggles.

"Oh, what a shot Vernon. Something to be proud of! And what is this? Some sort of mock sword play? You wouldn't be able to poke an eye out with that stick, let alone cause any real…"

Her eyes widened as her voice suddenly failed. She stared in shock, her mouth opening wider and her movements becoming panicky as she tried to shout.

"What have you done?" Vernon snarled, advancing onto Harry's friends.

"I'm sick of hearing her voice." Hermione said calmly, keeping her wand raised. She glanced at Ron, who nodded at the prone figure of Harry on the floor, and she bent down to help him sit up, leaving the gangly youth to keep his wand trained on Harry's relatives.

Once Harry was eventually on his feet, he cracked his jaw a little, rubbing it gingerly as he glared at his uncle.

"End the charm, Hermione." He said quietly.

"What..?" Ron exclaimed, his wand drooping slightly.

"I said let her go." Harry repeated, glancing at his friends, a strange glint in his eyes.

He turned back to his uncle. "I'm glad to see we're still friends." he said in a cold voice. "But don't think I'm likely to forget that! If my life wasn't so full of crap right now I would walk straight out that door and never return. It's what we both want. But such as life is, I made a promise to a very dear, but now dead friend. I promised him that I would return, not only to keep myself alive but to protect your worthless hides as well. If I don't stay here this summer, your perfect little muggle life will be turned upside down in an instant. I am hunted by a man who won't think twice of attacking you in an attempt to get to me, and by the time they finish torturing you, you won't even remember your own name."

He looked back at Hermione, who raised her wand and gently whispered "Finite."

"We will return only in the evenings to sleep here." he said. "My room is and will remain off limits to all of you for the duration of our stay, and I sincerely suggest you steer clear of any temptation to take a peek." he stared meaningfully at his aunt as he said this, and got a slight nod in response.

"C'mon." he said over his shoulder to his friends, and pushed passed Vernon out the front door, striding purposefully down the paved pathway and away from the house.


	4. The Hunt so Far

Chapter 4:

A couple of days later found Harry and his friends sitting under a large tree in the local park enjoying their tea in the late afternoon sun. A slight shadow along the left side of his jaw the only evidence to the previous incident with his uncle.

They had spent the last couple of days relaxing and exploring the local area, their primary goal to chill out a little and stay as far away from Privet Drive and Harry's relatives as possible in attempt to allow both parties to get used to the new living situation.

Harry had several times wondered what excuse his relatives had come up with this time to cover up his "unnaturalness" with his Aunt Marge. He had barely seen his aunt, and even her dog seemed to sheer away and hide behind someone's ankles whenever one of them was near.

The news of the incident which had occurred in the front hallway of number four, Privet drive had spread faster than wild fire around the neighbourhood, and Harry was constantly aware of a mixture of stares from people who had previously thought him a criminal. Some obviously thought it was right he was getting such punishment, and continued to hurry their children pass him. Others seemed to have a thoughtfulness on their faces as they passed, almost bordering on pity as they wondered whether abuse was the possible reason for his rumoured bad behaviour.

He mused on the subject regularly, knowing that he shouldn't let their opinions bother him, and that his reputation would give Ron, Hermione and himself the privacy they needed to investigate the Horcruxes. But he often wondered if the passer-by's knew what Harry was about to go through for them, the crusade he was about to embark on to make sure their everyday lives would continue as safely as they were at the moment.

His adventures were going to start today. The three friends had enjoyed each others company and relaxation over the past couple of days, and had finally decided to make a start on their "summer project" as Hermione called it, though Harry had a sneaking suspicion that the quest wasn't going to be easy enough to finish by the time Hogwarts reopened in the autumn.

A subtly placed Muffliato charm meant that any stranger that did dare stray too close to the trio would not be able to hear their conversation about Horcruxes, and with a sigh Harry rolled over onto his front and faced the blank page of the notebook Hermione had brought earlier that day to record all their ideas in.

His mind drifted as he thought about how his life was soon to be governed by Hermione's handwriting filled book and mentally shook his head. Dumbledore was right, even if he hadn't been chosen for the prophecy, he still would've wanted to see this through.

"First off, I think we'll just go over all you learnt with Dumbledore." Hermione was saying. "We can start adding ideas of our own and see where it leads us."

"Right," Ron said, leaning against the tree and pulling open a chocolate bar left over from their picnic. "According to Harry, that ring that Dumbledore was wearing before he died was most likely the first Horcrux Old Moldy had made and was found in the house his mother had lived in."

"Right," Hermione agreed, her quill scratching across the page as she jotted the info down. "Next."

"The diary." Harry said. "It must've been the second Horcrux as the image that came out of it was only sixteen years old."

"That's one thing I don't understand." Ron interrupted. "If he was always alive - the evidence of which is the fact that he was possessing other people in Albania - then how come he was "reborn" down in the chamber of secrets? Does that mean we could potentially have six evil wizards running around?"

"Doubt it." Hermione said. "I think that horcruxes are simply there to ensure his soul never completely disappears when he dies. The triwizard tournament back our fourth year proves that he didn't need to be close to a horcrux to come back to life, but I'll admit that the diary is a little bit of an enigma. My guess is that it was a special case in that it was able to communicate with Ginny by writing to her. How it managed to gain strength from her life force, I don't know. Maybe it sensed some how that he wasn't "whole" anymore. But I don't see how a ring or a necklace would be able to act like that."

"Maybe that's important." Harry said. "If each one behaves differently, then its likely that each one will need a different approach to destroy it. In this case, the diary itself needed to be destroyed, not the image that came from it. The image had taken Ginny down to the chamber and was trying to take her life force before she regained enough strength to fight back. The likely hood of another parselmouth being able to get to them to help was next to none. I was never supposed to be there."

"I guess the ring needed to be worn." Ron agreed, "Hence Dumbledore's hand turned black."

"Which implies the same for the necklace." Hermione continued, writing furiously. "When we find it, and if it still needs to be destroyed."

"Any idea's on that?" Ron asked.

"Not really." Hermione said. "I'm thinking heading to the wizarding library in Wales and researching through old newspapers. Any turncoat death eaters are bound to be mentioned at some point."

"Sounds long and boring." Ron commented.

"But necessary unless you can come up with a better plan?" Hermione said pointedly.

Ron shrugged and raised his hands, showing that they were empty of ideas.

"Next would be the cup." Harry said, his voice breaking the small silence that followed. "Dumbledore managed to get that memory from the elf before she passed away. Riddle collected it as soon as he was out of school. All we have to do is work out where it was hidden."

"Well, he seems to be focusing on items and places that are important to him, or to the founders of Hogwarts." Hermione observed, reading her notes and tapping her cheek with the feathery end of her quill. "So I guess he put it somewhere that meant something."

"Hogwarts." Ron said instantly.

"No." Hermione shook her head. "The diary was at Hogwarts."

"Well, technically it wasn't." Harry pointed out. "Though it did lead to Hogwarts. It was Lucius Malfoy that gave the diary to Ginny, so I'm guessing it had originally been given to him for safe keeping."

"So maybe there is one hidden at school? Or maybe he gave one to another death eater to babysit?" Hermione said, jotting down their ideas and missing Harry's shudder when she mentioned "babysitting", an image of a naked Voldemort emerging from something that could hardly be described as a child popping into his mind.

"Anywhere else that popped up in his memories?" Hermione asked Harry.

Harry thought for a little while, trying hard to steer clear of any memories that reminded him of that night. He shook his head slightly. _Get a grip, Harry_, he told himself. _You are trying to suss out Voldemort__'__s life. Anything that might bring up a worthwhile clue will bring up memories of that night!_

He sucked in a deep breath and turned over onto his back, crossing his arms behind his head to create a cushion from the ground.

"Dumbledore took me to a place Tom used to visit when he was a kid." he said. "It was by the coast, in a cave. That was where he traumatised two kids… I think it was when he was working out he wasn't like other kids and was experimenting with his powers. That was why he hid the necklace there."

"What about the kids?" Ron asked. "If everything he has ever done has been so important to him, what's so special about them?"

Harry frowned. "They came from the same orphanage." he said slowly. Looking up into Hermione's upside-down face with an excited smile on his face. "He used to store little items he stole off the other kids there."

Hermione frowned. "But I doubt the orphanage was a great place for him" she said. "I'm sure it was something he'd want to forget…"

"But it made him what he is." Harry said, turning over again. "He was always around other kids, and he could see the differences. Dumbledore showed him magic for the first time there. When I saw that memory I could see he wasn't really worried that Dumbledore had seen straight through him and discovered his thefts. He was more concerned with the fact that he _was_ special. I bet he sees the orphanage as a place that gave him the opportunity to develop his skills, not as a place to be forgotten!"

"Well, you know him best." Ron said. "I don't see it couldn't hurt to go and have a look."

"Where else did Dumbledore take you?" Hermione asked, furiously writing.

"Well, technically he didn't take me anywhere." Harry said. "Other than his office of course. It was all memories."

"Not to mention the scary cave with dead people in it." Ron said.

"Ron!" Hermione admonished, shocked her friend could say something as insensitive.

"What?" he asked, raising his hands defensively.

"It's okay, Hermione." Harry said with a small twinkle in his eye. "Its not like I'm going to be going back there any time soon, and the nightmares have almost gone now."

Ron's eyes opened in realisation. "I'm sorry!" he said, scrambling to his knees. "I really didn't think…"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Leave it, Ron." he said. "You two can't keep treading on glass around me. I'm sure things are going to get worse before they get better, and it doesn't hold much hope for the future if we can't talk over what happened in the past."

Hermione and Ron stared in silence at their friend, until he started squirming uncomfortably under their gaze.

"What?" he finally asked. "Have I sprouted two heads or something?"

"Not today." Ron said, a small smile playing at his lips.

"You just seem a lot more mature than you have been." Hermione elaborated. "It seems a far cry from the temper tantrums and impulsivity we've come to expect from you."

Harry shrugged. "I guess I've had to do a lot of growing up." he said. "Dumbledore made it clear to me that rushing head long into things isn't going to help this time. He made it no secret that I would have to rely on you two a lot to succeed with this. And if I don't listen to you, how's that going to happen?"

"He taught you a lot." Hermione said.

Harry shook his head. "He talked a lot." he corrected. "And I'm not sure how much of it is going to help us. Most of it seems to be lessons of life as opposed to direct lessons on how to defeat the greatest dark wizard of all time."

"But those are lessons Voldemort never had." Hermione pointed out. "It makes you so much more mortal than he could ever be."

Ron frowned slightly. "And you think being mortal is a good thing?" he asked. "What with Voldemort splitting his soul into seven and all?"

His female friend shrugged. "Dumbledore seemed to think so." she said. "And Harry hasn't turned into a dark wizard yet!"

"Yet!" Ron repeated, a small wink at his friend indicating he was joking.

"So, anyway." Harry said, sending a mock glare at his friend. "Getting back on track, what do you propose we do first?"

"I vote we head to a wizarding library." Hermione said. "We can look up names of any past death eaters that may have been deemed trustworthy enough by Voldemort to look after part of his soul. We can also look up any possible artefacts of Ravenclaw or Gryffindor that Voldemort may have used as a Horcrux. And I know that Harry can't perform magic yet, but there's no reason why we can start looking up interesting spells that may help us, especially since we're more than likely going to be crossing paths with Voldemort and his minions at some point."

Harry nodded in agreement, and Ron looked like he had just eaten a rotten vegetable at the prospect of spending the summer in a library.

"Where is the nearest library then?" Harry asked.

"There is only really one library that would hold all the information that we'd possibly need." Hermione said. "It's in a small wizarding village in Wales. Though saying that, I would like to see the library at Grimmauld Place at some point. There are bound to be some books on dark magic there that would help us there."

"We can go there after the wedding." Harry said. "Unless we get stupidly bored at the library."

"Not going to be hard." Ron muttered.

"How are we going to get to Wales?" Harry asked. "Ron and I can't legally apparate. Unless you think you can side-along apparate us there?" he directed the question towards Hermione.

She looked at him at rolled her eyes. "It is nearly impossible to side-along apparate, Harry." she said patiently, as if teaching a two-year old how to hold a spoon properly. "It takes a great amount of magic reserves to be able to do it without the risk of splinching."

Harry stared at her in disbelief, one eyebrow reaching up under his fringe. "Really?" he asked.

Hermione frowned. "When have you ever side-along apparated, Harry?" she asked.

"Well, Dumbledore took me to the cave." he said, "And then, when he was injured…"

"You brought him back." Ron finished, shaking his head in disbelief. "Can't you ever do anything normally?"

Harry felt affronted. "I was worried about him." he said. "He wasn't doing too well, and I knew I had to get him to Pomfrey for medical aid…"

"Ron was only joking, Harry." Hermione said gently, trying to stop Harry getting so defensive. "It just adds to you list of impossible feats, like your patronus…"

"…and your ability to speak to snakes…"

"…Not to mention your uncanny ability to get into trouble every five minutes."

Harry groaned and dropped his head onto his hands. "Why can't I just be normal?" he muttered.

His friends laughed. "We wouldn't have it any other way, mate." Ron said, slapping Harry on the shoulder.

"We'll work out a way to get you to the library." Hermione said. "I'm pretty sure there'll be a public floo there, and we can always borrow your neighbour's fireplace. If not, we can always try a Portkey, though we might need to ask a favour off Remus or Kingsley for that!"


	5. Devil's Bridge

Chapter 5:

The next day found the three friends on the doorstep of Harry's old babysitter's house.

"What's that odd smell?" Ron asked, looking around the small, slightly overgrown garden.

"I never really worked it out." Harry replied, hesitating before he rang the doorbell. "It's always smelt this way. That, and once you're inside you are overwhelmed by cats."

"She's a squib, isn't she?" Hermione asked as Harry rang the doorbell, when her friend nodded she continued "Maybe her parents used to keep cats and now she keeps them as her link to our world?"

Harry's head turned to the door as he heard scratching on the other side as locks were undone. "Maybe" was all he said as the door was open a crack.

One eye peered out from around the corner of the door.

"Mrs Figg?" Harry asked softly, sensing that the older woman was almost terrified at the prospect of opening the door any further. "It's Harry. Harry Potter."

The door opened a little bit more before opening fully.

"Harry!"

The three friends winced a little at the coarse but high voice from the elderly lady in front of them.

"Come in, come in. Quick." she said, ushering the three friend into the house, before glancing both ways and closing the door again.

"Is everything okay, Mrs Figg?" Harry asked, looking around the house.

It was pretty much as he remembered it; cats staring at him through the railings on the stairs, cat toys littered all over the floor and something boiling away through the door into the kitchen that was sending off a nasty smell like cabbage.

"Of course not, boy!" the lady said, wringing her hands together. "Not since that night. I may not be able to do magic, but there is nothing wrong with my eyes and ears. Nothing wrong at all."

"Why?" Hermione asked. "What's happened?"

Harry's old babysitter looked over her shoulder as if she sensed someone behind her, and jumped slightly as one of her cats jumped off the dining table and sauntered over, weaving it's way between Ron's ankles.

"It's He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." she whispered. "He's back!"

Harry almost looked relieved at her words and let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding.

"But he's been back a long time." Harry said.

"And hopefully won't be along much longer." Ron muttered meaningfully.

Hermione gave him a glare, and gently took the old ladies arm. "Mrs Figg, I'm Hermione, and this is Ron. We're Harry's friends."

"Of course you are." Mrs Figg said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and turning and walking down the hall. "Wouldn't expect anything less of a charming couple like yourselves!"

Hermione and Ron threw startled glances at each other, before looking away embarrassed as they realised they had both done it at the same time.

Harry followed his old neighbour down the hallway, a smirk on his face as his two friends followed, trying their hardest to keep to opposite sides of the narrow corridor.

"What can I do for you kids?" Mrs Figg asked, as soon as they were all in her living room. "I'm sure that the three of you aren't here just to visit an old lady."

"Well, we were wondering if we could borrow your fire to floo to a place in Wales?" Hermione asked. "We have a lot of summer work to do and having access to the library there would be a great help."

Mrs Figg looked at each one of them in turn, before he gaze landed on Harry. "You asked your aunt and uncle if you could borrow theirs?" she asked.

Harry looked at his feet . "Not exactly." he admitted. "But you know how they are about magic. And, to be honest, Uncle Vernon and myself aren't getting along all that well right now."

Mrs Figg nodded in understanding. "Fine," she said, agreeing to their request. "On one condition."

"What's that?" Ron asked.

"That you spend some of your spare time here." she said. "With all that's going on, it gets a little lonely here on my own and I tend to get a little jumpy. It would be nice to have some young wizard blood around the house again."

Harry looked at Hermione, who nodded. "It would be useful to have a some room to stretch out in once in a while." she pointed out.

"I think that would be great." Harry said with a small smile, trying to ignore Ron's unsubtle sniff as he glanced at the boiling pot in the kitchen. "As Hermione said earlier, it would be great to have some room so we can… revise without being glared at by magic-phobic muggles."

"That settles it then." Mrs Figg said, taking a wooden box off the mantle and holding it out them. "I shall have tea ready for when you get back, and maybe we can go through some of my old photo albums!"

Harry opened his mouth to protest about her generosity, memories of the hours he had spent of his childhood going through those photo albums, but a small wink from his former babysitter made him smile.

"I think that would be great." he said, and reached for a handful of floo powder.

He looked to Hermione who also took a handful of the powder.

"We need to go to the Owl room, Devil's Bridge." She supplied and Harry nodded.

"Meet you there." he said, throwing his powder into the fire, and repeated the destination clearly. The flames crackled before turning green, and Harry stepped into the flames, mindful to keeping his elbows in so that he wouldn't bump them on the journey.

Moments later found the three friends standing amidst a cacophony of various hoots, rustlings and screeches.

Harry nervously pulled the baseball cap he had liberated from one of Dudley's drawers down to hide his characteristic scar as the elderly owner of the owlery acknowledged their arrival and started to walk towards them, his wand held tightly at his side.

"Everything okay there?" he asked, casting his eyes suspiciously over the trio.

"Yes, fine thanks." Hermione said.

"Your parents know you're out?"

"Yes." Ron replied.

"We've got some summer research to do at the library." Hermione further explained. "Besides, we're of age."

The shop keeper nodded, a small smile appearing on his face.

"I'm sorry." he replied. "But you have to be careful nowadays, especially since we're one of the only fireplaces left open on the public floo network.

"That's fine." Hermione said, returning the smile. "Would you be okay if we come back most days? This is quite a big project for our NEWTs."

"No problems." the old wizard said, returning behind his desk. "Nice to see some people still having the nerve of getting out and about."

The three friends stepped out of the Owl room and blinked in the bright summer sun, taking in their surroundings and breathing in the freshness of a new place.

To their left ran a main road that headed out of town, and to the right lay a road that turned into a cobbled street leading between a number of shops to a small and nondescript fountain in the middle of what must have been the town centre.

As soon as Harry cast his eyes on the fountain, he felt himself drawn to the running water. He was barely aware that he had started walking down the street, startling his friends who followed him, asking him with concern if he was okay.

Once he reached the fountain, Harry looked up at it, something stirring in the depths of his memory. It was almost as if he had seen the grey stonework before, a glimmer of something that eluded his consciousness like a dream.

He turned his head to his right and his eyes fell on a peaceful and quaint graveyard, clean and white tombstones sitting in a manicured pasture before a grey stone chapel, it's presence a far cry from the last graveyard he'd had the misfortune to have visited.

"Harry?"

He felt a hand on his arm, and tilted his head slightly to acknowledge Hermione's presence, not once taking his eyes off the graveyard in front of him.

"Are you okay, mate?"

Harry hesitated. "Either of you feel like you've been here before?" he asked.

His friends hesitated before he sensed them shaking their heads in the negative.

He left them again, this time headed down the small path that led to the chapel, his eyes roaming over the headstones he passed.

"Harry, what's going on?"

Harry stopped in front of a headstone, his breath shallow as he read the name etched into the stone.

_HAROLD POTTER_

"Harry? Is that…?"

"I think he was my grandfather." Harry replied, vaguely remembering an image of a tall man standing behind him and his parents when he had seen his reflection in the mirror of Erised.

Ron looked around the nearby stones. "Harry, most wizarding families bury their relatives in the same place. What if your parents are around here somewhere?"

Harry and Hermione looked up at him as he wandered around. Harry himself glancing around the well kept memorial garden as Hermione gently placed her hand on his arm.

To the edge of the land he spotted a tall tree with low hanging branches, long trails of small blossoms trailing to the floor. Just below them he saw the shadow of a couple of stone blocks, and started weaving his way between the other stone blocks towards them.

When he reached the tree, he pushed aside the branches and felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw the names he had only been half-hoping he'd find.

_Lily and James Potter_

_Loved by all - loyal till the end_

_May your memories live on_

He fell to his knees in front of them, his hands reaching out to caress the unforgiving stone.

"Hi," he whispered. "I made it."

He choked a little. "I always thought I would know what to say when I came to visit." he said. "But I guess, in a way, I always hoped I'd never find you. That in some way if I didn't see you like this, then I could pretend you never really existed… that nothing went wrong…"

He sniffed, swiping angrily at his eyes when he realised he was crying. "But it did. And now you're here, like this. And it took some stupid visit to a library for me to find you."

He gently traced his mother's name with one finger.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. I'm sure Remus would've come with me, or Sirius…"

He sighed, his brief moment of emotion drying up as he sat back on his heels.

"I have a lot to do." he said softly. "Dumbledore's dead. I don't know if he's where you are, but if he is I'm sure he's told you what I have to do. I just hope I don't let you down."

"You won't." a voice from behind him said.

Harry turned to see his friends standing there, Hermione's arm linked loosely with Ron's as she stood with tears in her eyes.

Harry shook his head. "But I could." he pointed out.

"I think its safe to say that Dumbledore would point out that any attempt you make would be your best, whether or not you succeed."

Harry looked back at his parent's grave.

"Let's just hope we succeed." Ron added.

Harry smiled slightly and nodded, before standing up and turning to his friends.

"To the library?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head, and pointed at a path that ran alongside the chapel. "We go that way."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

Harry shrugged. "It's a nice day." he said. "And I'd like to know what's up there."

Hermione glanced at Ron, then back at the large stone building they could just see on the other side of the town centre.

"Just an hour." she said. "Then we'll have lunch and then find our way around the library."

"Deal." Harry said, and started off eagerly up the sheltered path.

It only took a ten minute walk for the threesome to find themselves standing in front of a waist high wooden gate after walking along a pleasant, if a little overgrown, lane.

Harry was unsure of what he was feeling as he looked down at the nameplate on the gate.

"Did either of you know this was here?" he asked.

Ron shrugged and Hermione shook her head. "I always knew that families were buried near their family home." Ron admitted. "But I never really made the connection."

"I thought that the Potter family were rich?" Hermione queried. "This hardly seems the gateway to an old and rich family home."

"Maybe it's just a back way, a short-cut to the village." Ron suggested, gently lifting the catch and swinging the gate open. He hesitated a moment and looked at his friend who seemed lost in thought. "Go on, Harry." he said. "Why don't you lead the way?"

Harry didn't say anything, but looked down at his feet as he walked past his lanky friend and crossed over onto the land his parent's had owned.

"Hang on." Hermione said, gently taking her friends arms and halting them part way down the overgrown path. "What if someone else owns it. We could be trespassing."

Harry looked at Ron who shook his head. "I doubt very much that Dumbledore or anyone in the Order would let this house be brought by anyone we don't know." he said. "If you ask me, they've kept it just for you." he said, nodding to his dark-haired friend.

Harry smiled slightly and led the way down the path again, pushing against the odd branch that grew to low from the canopy overhead.

It didn't take long for the threesome to find themselves stepping out into an open glen which had the remains of a once well kept garden. Evidence of flower beds broke up the overgrown lawn, but Harry wasn't even interested in the three practise hoops that were set at different heights at one side of the garden. His eyes were fixed on the house in front of him.

The house was only two stories high, with some evidence that the attic had most likely been converted into another room. The windows were dark and dusty, and some from the upstairs rooms had been cracked or were missing completely. The walls, however, were still standing strong, even though the paint was peeling in places and it looked as if there had been a fire at some point. All-in-all, the house looked like it hadn't seen company for many years.

Harry's heart stopped when he saw the front door hanging from its hinges, possibly the only evidence of the event that changed his life when he was a baby.

"You want to go in?" Ron asked softly.

"We can always stay here if you want to go alone." Hermione added.

Harry took a deep breath, steadying his nerves, and flashed his friends a quick smile that he hope reassured them. "No." he said. "We're in all this together. I would like it if you came in."

Hermione nodded and let Harry lead the way across the lawn to the house. Once he reached the door he gently pushed at it, his fingers hesitating slightly before making contact with the weathered wood.

The door groaned as it opened, swinging unnaturally on the upper hinge that was barely holding it in place.

"Oh my." Hermione said, as they stepped into the entrance hall.

The gentle, yet overgrown garden was nothing compared to the devastation the house had sustained inside.

Curse marks blackened the walls in long, smoky smears. Pictures along the walls were broken or had fallen to the floor. Looking through the broken doorway leading to the living room showed furniture upturned, and the rugs that lined the wooden floor were ripped and dirty.

"It looks like your dad put up a good fight." Ron said softly, looking through the door into the kitchen.

Harry frowned at his friends words. "But there wasn't much of a fight." he said.

He saw his friends turn to him with questioning looks.

"The dementors." he explained. "When they were real close I even heard my father. Voldemort didn't give them much time. He stormed through the door and got my dad whilst mum ran upstairs with me. He refused to move, so I don't understand how the kitchen could be such a mess."

"Maybe it was a repercussion from what happened upstairs." Hermione suggested. "The backfire from such a powerful curse must've effected the entire area."

Harry nodded, briefly looking over Ron's shoulder before heading for the stairs, not noticing the looks his friends shared as he subconsciously skirted the spot where his father had fell.

At the top of the stairs the effects of Voldemort's visit were more clear. Entire door frames were missing from entrances to rooms and in some places the walls had been damaged so much you could see through into the room behind.

Harry quickly walked past what must've been his parent's study, the bathroom and a spare bedroom before coming to a halt next to a blackened doorframe, resting his hand against the charred wood before he stepped around the corner into the room that often haunted his dreams.

His breath hitched in his chest as his eyes fell on the sky blue walls of his old nursery, fluffy white clouds painted on the wall, the charm which once made them float around had long since worn off in the sixteen years since the house was last inhabited.

Harry's eyes fell on a toy chest, a rocking horse that looked like it could be charmed to actually carry a child around the room, and came to rest on a broken child's crib, one end of which had been reduced to a pile of wooden splinters.

He took a step into the room, making his way towards the crib, were he had noticed something hidden under the rubble.

He bent and picked up a small stuffed toy in the shape of a stag. He smiled slightly as he brushed the dust off his find, warmth spreading from his fingers into the rest of his body as he was reminded of the love his parents had given him.

"Oh, Harry." Hermione said behind him, leaning against Ron in the doorway. "It's so beautiful."

Harry turned to his friend to find silent tears gently streaming down her face. His other friend was looking at her strange.

"I wouldn't say it was beautiful." Ron said. "This place is a right mess." He looked at Harry who was still clutching the stuffed stag. "But I would say it felt like home."

Harry nodded, a small smile gracing his face. He knew exactly what his friend meant. The house was in a bad case of disrepair, not to mention the damage the dark lord's curse had caused. But there was something about the building that didn't make him feel sad, but actually made him feel content and he knew that one day, when the war was over, he'd dedicate his time to rebuilding the house and moving back into his childhood home.

"You make a new friend there?" Ron asked, coming further into the room and nodding to the stuffed toy.

Harry looked down, and found himself slightly amused that he hadn't felt embarrassed at Ron's question.

"I was never given a stuffed toy at the Dursley's." he said. "Any toys I did have had looked like they had been mashed by a giant." He cocked his head on one side, examining the face of his baby toy as he remembered how big his cousin was when they were growing up. "I guess, in a way, they had been."

"I wonder if they got you the complete set?" Hermione asked. "Makes sense that the son of the marauder's should be brought up knowing his heritage."

Harry smirked. "I bet my mum loved that." he said. "From the stories I heard, my dad and Sirius used to drive her nuts."

"Only on the outside." Hermione said. "I imagine that underneath all her complaints, she was also a marauder at heart."

Harry nodded. "I'd like to think that." he said, taking one last look around the room.

He sighed, and looked at his friends. "Shall we head to the library now?" he suggested.

"You sure you want to leave so soon?" Ron asked.

Harry gestured at the room with one hand. "This place hasn't been touched for years." he said. "I think that it'll keep for while longer, at least until I've got time to explore properly."

Both his friends nodded, knowing that Harry had just set himself a goal to get himself through the obstacles ahead, and each of them gave him a show of support as they left the Potter house.


	6. Leaving Present

Chapter 6.

Harry and his friends sat at a dining table just on the inside of Mrs Figg's large patio doors, reading through the books they had collected from the library that morning.

Their summer had passed with a reasonable amount of routine. They would wake after the Dursley's had left he house in the morning, meaning that they would be able to wash and breakfast without having to worry about the glares Harry's relatives would give them. They would leave the house mid-morning - heading for Mrs Figg's house where they would floo to Devil's Gate. Then they would visit the library until mid-afternoon, researching spells that might prove useful on their quest and most importantly, anything that would indicate what the remainder of Voldemort's horcruxes may be and where they could've been hidden.

They would stop for lunch in the small wizarding village, having an hour or two to themselves to visit Harry's home or simply wander around the shops that were there, before heading back to Little Whinging to discuss any information they may have found or share spells they had discovered.

This afternoon was to be the last Harry and his friends were going to spend in the company of Mrs Figg and her cats. By the end of the following day they would be heading to the Burrow to celebrate Harry's coming of age before the wedding of Ron's brother, Bill. Harry thought about the change with a great deal of apprehension. Even though the wedding would be a great source of hope to many, he knew that afterwards things would begin to spiral downwards, leading to much pain and angst before Harry could destroy the last horcrux and face Voldemort himself.

He sighed, picking up the book of notes he had been making over the past few weeks. They had not found out much about horcruxes and how to destroy them, in fact, there had seemed to be a taboo around them and whenever they did find a mention in a old, leather bound book in the library it was only a brief sentence or two that taught them nothing new.

On the other hand, they had all improved greatly with the number of spells learnt. Hermione and Ron had spent some of their time practising spells and wand movements discovered with their research, though Harry, with a growing sense of frustration, had to content himself with waving his hand around, practising incantation pronunciations, and making do with seeing the effects produced by his two friends.

Harry was so engrossed with his thoughts that didn't acknowledge the nudge that Ron gave Hermione, and the smile they shared before standing up.

"Where are you two going?" Harry asked, as they started to walk away from the table.

"We're just going back to your house to finish packing." Ron said. "You wouldn't mind clearing all this up for us, would you Harry? Thanks, mate!"

Harry sat, his mouth slightly open, trying to register what it was that Ron had just said before standing and chasing after them into the front hall.

"If you are going to trick the Dursley's…" he hesitated, as his friends turned at the front door, expectation on their faces at his silence. "It ain't right." he finished lamely.

"Harry, Harry." Hermione said, a fun wickedness glinting in her eyes that Harry had never seen before. "You promised us we could save it until we left."

"Yeah, Harry," Ron said, opening the front door. "You can't deny us, we've been planning this for weeks."

Harry still shook his head. "They may be mean, and hate my guts, but I really don't think they deserve this."

"Oh, let them have their fun." Mrs Figg said from behind him, coming out from the kitchen and wringing her hands in a tea towel. As they had come to know each other over the past couple of weeks, Harry had become quite fond of the slightly-mad squib. Her sense of fun made him laugh, and in many ways her verbalised thoughts reminded him of the randomness experienced with one of his other friends, Luna Lovegood.

Ron and Hermione sent her a grin before quickly leaving the building.

Harry sent a look at his old babysitter that said "traitor" but she just laughed at him.

"They have been planning this for a long time" she said "Besides, they'll probably be activated once you leave tomorrow. You won't be around to see the effects, but I'm sure I'll be amused by the neighbours' stories for weeks to come!"

Harry smiled, briefly wondering when his friends would've found enough time to plan all this without him before nodding. "Fair enough." he said. "Just make sure you write to me and let me know how many colours their house turns into!"

Mrs Figg laughed and made her way back into the back room, where Harry and his friend's had been studying.

"I'll be sure to do that." she said. "I might even try and get some photo's for you, and once all this is over you can come back to visit an old lady and tell her your tales?"

Harry nodded, smiling slightly as he started gathering up various bits of parchments and pushing them into his rucksack.

"Of course." he said, he stopped his tidying and turned to look at her. "We really do appreciate you letting us use this room this summer." he said.

Mrs Figg, "Think nothing of it, Harry." she said. "You deserved a lot better when you were younger, and I wish there was more I could've done. As it is, just stay safe."

Harry nodded, knowing what lay ahead of him would probably not allow him to follow her advice. "You too, Mrs Figg." he said, and was surprised when he had been enveloped in a bony but tight embrace by his old carer.

"Right," she said as she let him go. "Let's get you packed up. You wouldn't want to be late for your own birthday celebrations now, would you?"

Harry shrugged. "I doubt there'll be much going on." he said. "What with Bill's wedding and all. But if I get to see some of my other friends I'll be happy."

Mrs Figg nodded, handing Harry another bag filled with parchment as he stood back from the table, casting an eye about to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything.

"Good luck, Harry." she said.

"Stay safe." Harry repeated her words from earlier, before making his way down the overgrown garden path and out onto the street. Making his way for the last time between the houses and back to Privet Drive.

The walk was a pleasant one on the sunny and warm evening. He had spent a lot of time sitting out in the garden with Hermione and Ron, and whereas Ron had gone more freckly and tended to burn, both he and Hermione had developed nice golden tans, making Harry feel the healthiest he had for a long time.

The walk seemed all to short to him, as he once more headed up the path and opened the front door to number four. His pleasant afternoon was soon disturbed by the havoc that seemed to burst from within.

"What's going on here?" he shouted, seeing Ron run past the end of the hallway chasing what seemed to be a ball of paint that left multicoloured sploshes everywhere it landed.

Ron seemed to freeze and spun to face the front door, wand in hand. He seemed to visibly relax when he saw Harry standing there.

"Phew." he said, putting his wand away, absently wiping a green covered hand on his already paint covered jeans. "I thought you might have been the Dursley's."

Harry shook his head, taking in the paint-strewn hallway, the dyed carpets and ruined upholstery. "What have you done?" he asked.

"Well…" Ron rubbed the back of his neck, leaving more green smears. "They're called Paintballs, but one of the bags broke as it got delivered." he said apologetically. "Hermione's been talking to Fred and George and they've promised that it will only last for a week, but they weren't supposed to be released until tomorrow after we left."

Harry shook his head in disbelief, not really knowing whether to laugh or cry at the situation before him.

"Where is Hermione?" he asked, shutting the door behind him, and stepping out of the way as a ball of paint bounced casually by.

"Pleading with Fred and George." Ron replied. "The balls seem to have classic Weasley Wizard protection charms on them. The more you chase them, the more they bounce away and the more mess they make. I think she's trying to get them to come over and help."

As he finished his explanation, Harry heard heavy footsteps on the stairs.

"Ron, your brother's are the worst!" she said. "Not only will they not come over, but they insist that there is no way to stop them. Something about the charm being an accidental find and that they've not yet found a counter for it."

Ron shrugged. "Or never bothered trying to find one." he added.

Harry shook his head again, looking with dismay around the house as his friends stood before him.

"We really are sorry, Harry." Hermione said. "We were going to hide them in some cupboards and put timing charms on the doors so that they opened on your birthday. We would've been a day clear by then if it had gone to plan."

Harry started to smile as an idea popped into his head. "At least the twins will be happy their products worked." he said. "Where are my aunt and uncle?"

"Went out." Ron said. "Hermione had placed a charm on the door so we knew when they left. That's why we left Figg's so early."

"And when are they back?"

"Probably be a couple of hours." Hermione said. "We overheard next door in the garden as we came in, apparently Dudley was caught by some police spraying graffiti on the walls by the kids park. They were joking that social services were going to suggest summer school, as the most offensive part of what he wrote was the spelling!"

Harry let a chuckle escape and gently kicked at another paint ball as it past, causing it to race away and bounce quickly from one side of the hallway to the other, leaving even more splodges of brightly coloured paint.

"You think your parents would mind us arriving a day early?" he asked Ron, whose face broke into a grin.

"I shouldn't have thought so." he said.

"So lets get packing!" Harry said. "My uncle probably won't be in a very good mood when he gets back, but maybe the bright colours will cheer him up!"

Hermione laughed brightly, relieved that Harry wasn't worried about their accident, and Ron came over and slapped his friend on the back.

"Lets get our stuff and head home." he said.

Harry nodded, slowly following his friends up the stairs and smiling to himself at the mess they had made. "My real home." he added to himself, feeling content within himself at his words.


	7. The Burrow

chapter 7.

The three of them packed quickly and travelled with the aid of the Knight bus to get to the village of Ottery St Catchpole which was the nearest village to The Burrow, Ron's home.

As they walked the dusty street through the quaint little village, the three of them kept up a steady stream of excited banter, each as excited as the other to be heading back to the wizarding world.

"Did you send a note to your parents saying we were coming early?" Harry asked casually, adjusting his heavy backpack that had been trying to slide off his shoulder.

"Nah." Ron said. "Mum'll be all over the place trying to organise food and flowers for the wedding. I figured we'd just turn up, and hopefully not add to the pressure she's under."

"I thought your mum would love to plan a wedding?" Hermione said.

Ron shrugged. "I guess its just the first of us to get married off." he said. "Ginny wrote me last week, saying how stressed mum had been looking recently. I suspect she's trying to impress the Delacour's, they have higher expectations than we have, having a big house in France and all."

Hermione smiled slightly. "But what can be more pleasant than having a wedding in a quaint little place like the Burrow?" she asked. "The orchard is beautiful, and a small outdoor wedding would be so perfect… What?" she asked, turning to look at Ron and Harry who had stopped and was staring at her.

"You've actually been thinking about things like that?" Ron asked, his face pale.

"Well, yeah." Hermione said, seemingly unembarrassed by his question. "The war won't be around forever, and I am planning to get married one day, Ronald Weasley!"

Harry snorted as she turned again and continued waking down the road. He put down Hedwig's empty cage - he had let her loose as soon as they had gotten off the Knight bus - and gently placed a hand on Ron's shoulder.

"She's planning on getting married at your house, Ron." he said gently, a large ball of laughter forming in his chest. "I guess that means she'll be marrying a Weasley!"

"But…" Ron shook his head slightly. "You haven't told her anything?" he asked quietly as Hermione moved out of earshot, his eyes searching Harry's urgently.

"About what?" Harry asked, with an innocent smile. "Whenever I bring up the topic of you and Hermione, you just turn red and try and run away!"

Ron started rubbing his neck, a sure sign of his nervousness. "Yeah, well, I assumed, what with you being my best mate and all…"

Harry grinned, unable to contain his amusement anymore.

"Of course I noticed, you dimwit." he said. "Its hard to spend a month in the same room as you two and not notice you flinching every time she touches you, and the dreamy eyes, and the staring into space, and yes, I think she suspects you like her as well."

"So…"

"So what?"

Ron started pushing at a stone with the toe of his boot.

"What do I do now?"

Harry laughed again, and picked up his empty cage.

"I say we catch up with Hermione, who is currently waiting impatiently for us at the end of the road, and then we see what the next couple of days bring."

At Ron's blank and panicked stare, explained. "We're going to a wedding, Ron." he said. "There will be more than a couple of opportunities for you to talk to her, ask her to dance…"

"Dance?" Ron croaked as Harry walked away. "What do you mean dance?"

Harry just shook his head, and smiled at his female friend as he caught up with her. At her raised eyebrow he just shrugged and looked over his shoulder to where Ron was walking up to them.

"I think you've forgotten something, Ronald." Hermione said with a smile, and Ron spun to see Pig's cage left in the middle of the road, his small owl fluttering from corner to corner, impatiently hooting at being left behind.

Both Harry and Hermione laughed as Ron dropped the end of his trunk to rush back and pick up the cage, his ears red as he once more caught up with them.

"Just leave it." he muttered as he stormed past them, causing them both to grin again.

Minutes later found them walking up the dirt track to the Burrow, and the first glimpse of the rickety old house that looked as if it would fall down at any moment made Harry so happy he felt he could produce a patronus that could take on all the dementors in Azkaban.

They strode up the path, sending a couple of garden gnomes skittering into the bushes, that looked remarkably neat and pruned compared to the Burrow's usual standards.

Ron, however, was frowning as walked up the path.

"Something wrong?" Hermione asked.

Ron shrugged. "I just figured that mum would've gotten rid of all the gnomes by now in preparation for the wedding." he said. "I can't imagine how embarrassed she would feel if one ran out between the minister's legs during the ceremony."

"But can you imagine how funny that would be, Fred?" a familiar voice said.

"Indeed I could, George." came the reply, and the trio turned to see the twins walking up behind them, hovering a number of cardboard packages in front of them with their wands.

"How are you all?" George asked as they came nearer. "Ginny said you weren't coming back until tomorrow."

"A slight accident caused us to split early" Harry said with a grin. "I didn't think it would be wise to see the Dursley's reactions to their new décor!"

The twins grinned identically. "Glad to see we could help!" Fred said.

"What have you got there?" Ron asked, "I thought you would be working in your shop today."

George shook his head. "We have Lee keeping an eye on the place for an hour or so, just so we could drop these off."

"They're our robes for the wedding." Fred added. "Mum didn't have time to go pick them up herself, and when we offered she insisted that we bring them up early, so that she can check for any spells or tricks before the wedding."

"It's almost as if she doesn't trust us, Fred!"

"It breaks my heart to think that, George, but I think you may be right."

"And have you tricked any of the robes?" Hermione asked.

Fred and George both clutched their chests, as if insulted by the question.

"Actually, no" George said seriously.

"Bill made us swear not to spoil the "magical moment" as he put it." Fred explained.

"And what with his injuries and all, we figured we'd respect that." George continued.

"Though I wouldn't eat any of the cake." Fred said in a conspiring whisper and wink. "We're picking that up from the shop tomorrow!"

Harry laughed and looked up at the kitchen door to the Burrow as it opened to reveal the Weasley matriarch standing there.

"Fred, George? Is that you? What… oh my, what are you three doing here? Is everything okay?"

She rushed from the house to grab her youngest son by the shoulders, shaking him slightly as she checked him for any injuries or ailments.

"We're fine, mum." Ron insisted, as she moved onto Harry, going as far as turning his head to check behind his ears. "We just got sick of the Dursley's and figured you'd need some help with the wedding preparations, so headed home early."

"Well, that's very kind of you dears, but everything is already set up." she quickly gave Hermione a hug and started bustling them into the house. "Lunch is nearly ready, Ginny was just helping to make some sandwiches."

Harry's heart skipped a little at the knowledge that he would see the youngest Weasley again, though he felt anxious as to how she would respond to his presence, the last time he had seen her was on the Hogwart's Express, merely hours after he broken their relationship off for fear of her safety.

The kitchen already seemed full when the newcomers entered the Burrow. Harry was greeted by Bill, Ron's eldest brother who bore ugly scars across his face from where he had been attacked by a werewolf earlier that year. He also shook hands with Ron's father, and had a small smile from Ginny that made his heart flutter before she turned back to the pile of sandwiches she was making on the counter.

"Did you say that everything was already set up for the wedding?" Ron asked once they were all settled. "I didn't see any of the decorations in the orchard as we came in."

"Oh no, dear." Molly Weasley said as she put a jug of fresh pumpkin juice on the table and started passing out plates. "We aren't holding the wedding here."

"We aren't?" Ron asked.

"McGonagall has given us permission to set up the marquee in the grounds at Hogwarts" Bill explain. "Bit of a last minute change of plans but it all seems to have worked out nicely."

"Why would you hold the wedding at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, a dead weight in his stomach fearing the answer that he was going to hear.

"There aren't many people foolish enough to publicly announce a large gathering of people in times like these." Arthur replied, helping himself to a handful of sandwiches. "Especially a group that contains so many people that are openly opposed to You-Know-Who and what he does. Even without Dumbledore, Hogwarts still remains the safest place in wizarding Britain."

"Not to mention that it would be a beautiful backdrop for the wedding." Bill added. "Fleur's family seemed so excited about visiting the school, and would make the day even more special for those of us who think of it like a second home."

Harry jumped a little as he felt something touch his hand and turned to see Ginny taking a seat next to him. "Don't for one moment think this was because of you." she said with a small smile. "You aren't that special!"

Harry smiled a little in return, pleased that she wasn't ignoring him, yet finding it difficult to resist gathering her in his arms and telling her how much he missed her.

"How have you all been this summer?" she continued to ask. "I didn't get many letters from you."

Harry sent her an apologetic look, anxiously aware of the not-so-subtle glances the rest of the table was sending their way.

"I just figured you wouldn't want to talk to me, after… well, after what happened last year."

Ginny raised an eyebrow, and shook her head with a sad smile on her face. "Nothing changes, Harry." she said quietly. "Just because you have other things on your mind, doesn't mean I do."

Harry glanced around the table again, causing a couple of heads to turn abruptly to look in another direction.

He gently took hold of Ginny's fingers, and gently tugged on her hand, causing her to stand from her seat.

"Excuse us a few moments." he muttered, walking to the front door.

"What about dinner?" Ron called, but was quickly shushed by his mother as Ginny and Harry walked out.

They walked in silence to the bottom of the garden, where Harry turned to Ginny in the cool shadow of a tall tree.

"I'm so sorry, Ginny." he started. "I really didn't want to do break up with you, and in a way I still don't. There hasn't been a day this summer when I haven't thought about you. But you see why I had to break up, don't you? You understand why?"

Ginny nodded, her eyes glistening brightly. "I understand." she said. "But you need to hear and understand something about me, Harry. About who _I_ am.

"I am part of an old Wizarding family, a large family, one that has always looked out for one another. Because of that we've always made it our duty to look out for others as well, to defend those who aren't able to look after themselves, to care and reach out the hand of friendship to those who maybe not so fortunate as to have a family as close as ourselves.

"We've never held back when it comes to our views on You-Know-Who. Our whole family is, or is soon to become, part of the Order, and He knows it. If He had a chance, he'd obliterate us all, starting with the weakest link of the family.

"That is me, Harry." she said. "I'm the youngest, and a girl, and was the one targeted by Malfoy when he planted that diary. I just know that if he had a mind to it, He-who-must-not-be-named will target me to attempt to make my family stop being such an obstacle. We're such a solid defence against his spread of fear that he'd take any opportunity to break that.

"Because of that, I want to tell you to forget about protecting me. If I'm targeted by any of his followers, its not going to be because I'm associated with you, but because the Weasley family as a whole are a large threat to him. And if he does come after us, he'll learn that the love of a family like ours is not one to be taken lightly.

"Harry, what I'm trying to say is this. He probably already knows how much you care for me and my family, you're best friends with Ron which is no secret and have spent several summers and Christmas's with us. Don't push us away. Join the family, and enjoy the moments that we do have together, especially over the next couple of days. We're stronger when we're together, and we'll fight whatever follows. As a family."

She stood still after her speech, her chest heaving slightly as she stared breathlessly into Harry's face, trying to meet his gaze to see what emotions could be read in his emerald eyes.

When he didn't make any effort to communicate, she sighed, one tear falling down her cheek as she turned to walk away. "I'll always be here, Harry." she said. "But even you deserve some sort of happiness in your life. What else is there to fight for?"

Harry watched out of the corner of his eye as she started back up towards the Burrow. His head turned to look after her as his heart threatened to burst out of his chest.

"You rehearse that?" he asked clearly but quietly, just loud enough for her to hear him across the distance she had already travelled.

Ginny stopped and turned to look back over her shoulder to see Harry smiling slightly.

She smiled a little back, turning a little more as she shrugged. "I've had a whole month of nothing more exciting than flower arranging to do." she admitted. "It's run itself through my head a couple of times."

Harry smiled openly, and quickly looked down at his feet before walking up to her.

"You really want to go out with the wizard on top of Voldemort's most wanted list?"

Ginny shrugged. "What does it matter?" she said. "You may think that you'll be the one standing in front of him when the time comes, but whatever happens, we're only half a step behind."

Harry nodded. "That's pretty much what your brother and Hermione told me." he said.

"That's what friends and family do, Harry." Ginny said softly, and Harry suddenly became aware that she had taken half a pace forward, her face turned upwards slightly towards his. "The important thing is that you never let yourself forget that."

"I don't think you'd ever let me." Harry said, his voice dropping in volume to match Ginny's before their lips met.

The happy couple walked back into the kitchen half hour later, hand in hand, to be greeted by a round of applause from Ginny's brothers.

"Your turn!" Harry muttered as he sat down next to Ron and leaned over to grab what was left of lunch.

"Sod off." Ron responded back, though Harry noticed his quick glance at Hermione when he said it.

"Molly says we'll be heading to Hogwarts tomorrow after you and Ron have taken your apparation exam at the ministry" Hermione said as Harry ate. "We can celebrate your birthday at school and be there ready for the wedding the next day."

Harry nodded. "How are we getting to the ministry?" he asked.

"We'll floo in with dad first thing." Ron said. "Get it over and done with."

"You're bound to pass this time." Hermione said reassuringly, "Think how far you've come with your magic already this summer!"

Ron shrugged. "I'll probably leave a whole hand behind this time."

"Oh, poor little Ronniekins." George said, coming up behind his brother and putting one arm around his shoulders.

"Unable to account for all his appendages." Fred continued.

"What happens if you lose something really important?" George exclaimed in mock horror.

"Sod off!" Ron said grumpily.

"As you wish, brother of ours!" Fred said.

"We have to be getting back to the shop anyhow." George continued.

"See you at Hogwarts tomorrow, Harry."

"Good luck with the test."

And with that, both twins apparated away, leaving Ron to thump his head against the thick wooden table.

"Don't take it so hard, Ron." Bill said. "It's not common knowledge, but it took Percy two times to get his license as well."

"Really?" Ginny said, "I don't remember him going back for it again."

Bill nodded. "He was able to retake it the same day." he said. "I think Pecry scared the examiner when he grabbed his cloak and started screaming in his face that he had made a mistake."

"What part did he leave behind?" Harry asked as the others laughed.

Bill shrugged. "He never would say." he mused. "It didn't take them long to put him back together again though, so couldn't have been anything too serious."

He stood up from the table and took his plate over to the sink where his mother took it off him gratefully. "If you like we could head into the garden and practise a bit."

"You'd do that?" Ron asked. "Don't you have to be meeting with Fleur or something?"

Bill shook his head. "She's staying with her parents until the wedding." he said. "Apparently its unlucky to see the bride the day before, or something like that. Sounds like old-witch superstitions if you ask me." he smiled a little as his mother swatted his head with a tea-towel. "Charlie will be meeting me at the school in the morning, and we're going to have a quick run through before checking the robes fit. Until then, I'm a free man."

"Sounds good to me." Hermione said. "Maybe we can run off some spells that we've been having difficulty learning over the summer as well? I'm sure you could help!"

"Why have you three been learning spells?" Molly asked as she cleared the rest of the table. "I hope you haven't been breaking any underage-wizarding laws?"

"No, we haven't." Hermione assured her. "It was only to keep us occupied and out of the way of Harry's relatives. Besides, Harry's the only one that was unable to perform magic, so he just practised incantations and can catch up after tomorrow."

"But that sucked." Ginny said, a little sourly.

Harry nodded. "Its not always easy being the youngest." he said with a knowing grin, and managing to get a small one back from his girlfriend.

"Do you want to head outside then?" Bill asked. "Sounds like you three have had an interesting summer."

The trio entertained Bill and Ginny for the rest of the afternoon, telling them of Harry's house, and various stories from their study afternoons, finishing up with the Paintballs and the impromptu redecorating of the Dursley's house.

It shocked Harry how much he had to say about his holiday, when normally he answered questions about his summer with one word answers. As he listened happily to Ron recount the episode where Hermione had walked in on Dudley in the shower, he realised how much he had enjoyed spending time with his two best friends, and even though much of their month together had been spent trying to find a way to defeat Voldemort, they had also shared many happy memories that he knew he would stay with him forever.


	8. Apparition

Chapter 8.

The next morning found Harry, Hermione and Arthur waiting in the front room of the Burrow for Ron to come down the stairs and join them.

"You did make sure he was awake, didn't you Harry?" Arthur asked again.

Harry nodded. "He was actually out of bed and everything." he assured the anxious father as he looked at his watch once more.

"I think I might just head up…"

"I'm here, I'm here." Ron said, panting slightly as he jumped down the last couple of stairs.

"What kept you?" Hermione asked, as Arthur prepped the fire by throwing floo powder into it and turning the flames green.

"Ginny got in the bathroom first." he explained. "Got a bit put out when I insisted that I should get priority."

"Well, if you had been up with the rest of us that wouldn't have been a problem." his father said. "As it is we might still be late, so get a move on."

He passed the floo powder around and stepped into the flames, announcing his destination clearly as he did so.

"Well, here goes nothing." Harry said, stepping towards the fire.

"Here," Hermione said, passing Ron several slices of toast. "To keep you going until we get to Hogwarts."

Harry smiled at the look of gratefulness on Ron's face before he threw his own handful of floo powder into the flames, and speaking "Ministry of Magic" as clearly as he could.

He was mindful to tuck his elbows in tightly, knowing full well that floo travel was liable to leave large bruises on flailing limbs, and prepared himself for the inevitable contact with the floor that he experienced every time he travelled by this method.

He wasn't disappointed, and the fire spat him out with such force that he went barrelling into the Atrium. The only thing that prevented him from hitting the highly polished wooden floor was the strong grip from Arthur Weasley's arms around his shoulders.

Harry looked up at the red-haired father and ruefully returned the smile he saw there. "Hopefully you won't have to go through that again after today." Arthur said with a smirk. "I really don't think floo is your way to travel."

Harry silently agreed and looked behind him to see Hermione arrive and step out of the fire without a hitch, sending him a quick smile as she played "mother" and cast cleaning charms on each of them.

Moments later Ron appeared a couple of fire grates down, still munching on a slice of toast and trying to sort through a couple of other slices to see which were still edible after the sooty journey.

"This way." Arthur said, bustling the three together and directing them to the welcome desk, past the still empty fountain where Voldemort and Dumbledore had battled it out a couple of years before.

"State your names, purpose and present your wands for registering." the large wizard behind the desk said in a brusque tone.

Arthur presented his pass, and turned to his charges who quickly brought out their wands.

"Harry Potter, here for apparation exam." he said, handing his wand over and thinking that the ministry must have upped their security recently, replacing the previous old guard with someone more intimidating.

As expected, his name caused the guard to glance up at his forehead to examine the scar, before Harry was once more scanned with the golden rod-like instrument and his wand weighed before being presented with a badge stating his name and business.

Ron and Hermione quickly followed his lead and soon the four of them were headed to the magical lifts where they rattled up to Level Six, where the female voice in the lift announced the Apparation test centre, as well as the offices of the Floo Network Authority and the Department of Magical Transportation.

"This is us." Arthur said, leading the way out of the lift and making his way down the corridor and turning to the right at the far end, pushing through some double doors into a small waiting room filled with a couple of chairs, a desk and a wilting plant in the corner.

Arthur went straight to the desk and waited patiently until a young witch came out of a small door at the other end of the room and smiled at them.

"You all here to take the test?" she asked, busying herself with some sheets of parchment as she took her seat behind the desk.

"Just the two boys." Arthur told her, and encouraged them up to the desk.

"Names?" the witch asked, finding the sheet she wanted and picking up a quill.

"Ron Weasley." Ron said a little anxiously.

"Ah, here for a re-take." the witch smiled at him as she put a tick next to his name. "We'll get you in as soon as we can." she promised and gave the tall red-head a quick wink. "And yourself?"

"Harry Potter." Harry said, half wincing in anticipation of the response he was sure to get.

He wasn't disappointed, and watched with dismay as the witch's quill fell to the floor along with the pile of parchment.

Hermione rolled her eyes slightly, and Ron just shrugged at his father as the witch clumsily sorted herself out.

"Oh, well, Mister Potter. We'll get you in straight away…"

"No." Harry said. "Let Ron go first. I'm happy to wait."

The witch hesitated a moment, before nodding. "Anything you like, Mister Potter." she said, then grabbed the list of names and disappeared into the back room.

"Let me know if I'm wrong," Ron said, staring at the closed door. "But wasn't that more a reaction than you normally get?"

"Maybe we've missed something in the Daily Prophet." Hermione said. "I did notice a lot of witches staring at you on the way up."

"More than usual?" Ron asked, flopping down on one of the seats and kicking the toe of one shoe against the heel of the other.

"Ah, but everyone knows what day it is." A voice from behind them said.

Harry spun and smiled when he saw who was standing there.

"Neville!" he exclaimed. "Happy Birthday!"

Neville nodded. "You too, Harry." he said. "You all here to take your test?"

"Just Harry and Ron." Hermione said. "I passed last year." She smiled at their fellow Gryffindor. "You look good, Neville, you've grown a lot this summer."

Neville nodded, blushing a little. Whereas he still wasn't as tall as Ron, he was towering over Harry and Hermione and had lost much of his childhood plumpness as well. "I've been spending a lot of time gathering plants for the new greenhouse my Gran brought for me earlier this summer. It's taken a lot of time and travelling, but I have quite a collection now."

"You sticking with the whole Herbology thing then?" Hermione asked and Neville nodded.

"It's something I'm good at." he said. "I might even be able to get an apprenticeship after Hogwarts. Professor Sprout says she has several friends in the business that would be willing to take on someone like me."

"That's great, Neville." Harry said with a genuine grin.

"I'll leave you kids together for the moment, if that's okay?" Arthur said, interrupting slightly. "I'll be back to pick you all up in an hour."

He wished his son good luck and headed out the door, leaving the others to take the remaining seats next to Ron.

"So, what is so special about today?" Ron asked Neville as they settled. Neville returned his question with a blank look until Ron elaborated. "When you came in, you said everyone knew what day it was."

"Oh, right." Neville said, and started digging in one of his robe pockets, pulling out a copy of that mornings Daily Prophet. He unfolded it and held it up to show the trio an old picture of Harry waving shyly on the front page, its heading loudly proclaiming his coming of age.

"Great." Harry said as Hermione leant across him to take the paper. "Just what I need."

"I'm guessing not everyone has had the chance to read this yet." his friend said as she cast her eye over the front page. "It's still early and that's why we only got half a reaction when walking in this morning."

"Which means walking out is going to be a nightmare." Harry said with a groan.

"Not if you pass your apparation test." Neville pointed out. "You don't have to go through the main Atrium to get to an apparation point. In fact, I think there is one on this floor."

"Now there's an incentive to pass!" Hermione said brightly, placing each hand on one of Harry's and Ron's knees.

"Ronald Weasley!"

"Here we go again." Ron groaned, pushing himself to his feet and making his way to where the young witch was holding open the door for him.

"Good luck, mate." Harry said and Ron gave a small nod before closing the door behind him.

"How long does it normally take?" Harry asked Hermione.

"Only about fifteen minutes." she said. "They basically ask you to move from circle to circle, and then usually to another point outside the building that you both know." she mused for a moment before continuing. "It used to be Diagon Alley, though I don't know how they would be able to monitor the apparation points there, security would be a nightmare."

Harry nodded and turned as Neville asked him a question. "You two looking forward to going back to school?"

Harry sent a shocked look at his female friend before taking a deep breath. "I don't think we're going back to Hogwarts, Neville." he said.

Neville looked shocked for a moment, then his expression relaxed into one of understanding and he nodded. "I figured you'd be doing something more proactive this year." he said. "What with all the time you spent with the Headmaster last year. You going after Snape?"

Harry shrugged. "We haven't really decided yet." he said. "There are some other things Dumbledore left us to do, though if I do see that snivelling coward…" he clenched his fists slightly before releasing them, feeling the angry tension that had been building up releasing as his fingers straightened.

"Do you want any help?"

Harry's head jerked to his friend as his mind registered the quietly spoken question.

"What did you say?"

"I wanted to know if you wanted help." Neville repeated, stronger this time. "I've improved so much since the DA, and spells are so much easier now I have a new wand. If there is anything I can do to help you, all you'd have to do is ask."

Harry stared at his friend, unsure of how to accept his friend's offer, knowing that if he did ask anything off his fellow Gryffindor then he would be likely pushing his friend into grave danger. On the other hand, he knew the prophecy could've meant either one of them, and even though Dumbledore had explained that it was Harry's desire to stop Voldemort that gave him the "power", there wasn't anything to say that Neville didn't have the potential, nor the incentive, for the same determination to see the dark wizard stopped for good.

His answer was interrupted as the door to the examining room sprung open, and Ron emerged waving a roll of parchment sealed with a wax seal.

"I passed," he exclaimed, and spun Hermione around excitedly as she stood up to congratulate him, making her squeal with laughter.

Harry glanced at Neville and returned the smirk his saw there. He shrugged at the raised eyebrows and stood as his name was called from the door.

He paused half way across the room, and turned back to his friend. "I'm not sure there is anything much you can do to help me." he said to Neville, who watched him understandingly. "But I do appreciate you offering to be there if I need you."

Neville nodded. "Good luck, Harry."

Harry smiled back. "Good luck, Neville."


	9. Birthday Celebrations

Chapter 9.

It didn't take long for the two Weasley's to get to Hogsmeade, accompanied by Harry and Hermione, once Harry had received his license to apparate.

The boy-who-lived sighed as they walked up the familiar path towards the school. Even though the sensation of being squeezed into a very tight space would take some getting used to, it was a relief not to have to rely on the dusty and bruising floo network anymore.

Ron could hardly be restrained in his excitement at passing the test, and was apparating at every chance he got, rivalling the number of times his twin brothers had popped into every room of Grimmauld place several summer's before.

"Oh, will you calm down, Ronald!" Hermione said, getting quickly annoyed at his antics. "You aren't the first to pass the apparation test you know."

"I know." Ron said, then apparated behind her, making her jump as he put his arms around her shoulders in a quick hug. "But it is so cool."

"You not so excited about your freedom?" Arthur asked Harry as they walked on in silence.

Harry shrugged slightly. "I'm just relieved that I don't need to travel by floo any more."

"Just remember not to attempt to apparate in Hogwarts." the Weasley Patriarch said with a friendly warning. "I remember a friend of mine tried once when we were still at school, got knocked out for two weeks thanks to the strength of wards there."

"Did he managed to get anywhere?" Harry asked, interested.

Arthur nodded. "As a matter of fact he did." he said. "He managed about two foot, which took him behind the sofa in the common room." he chuckled slightly. "We were so excited when we thought he had managed it, we didn't think to look for him. It wasn't until the house elves were cleaning that night that he was found."

Hermione, listening in, tutted slightly. "Anyone who has ever read Hogwarts, A History, would know not to attempt apparating in Hogwarts." she said.

Harry and Ron grinned at her words, knowing that Hermione was probably the only student in their year that had read the heavy tome from cover to cover.

"Look at that," Ron said, pointing as they rounded a corner and came into view of the castle.

The dark forest formed a fine backdrop to the tall school building which shone in all it's ancient glory, the stone reflecting the bright sunlight in such a way that it seemed to glow. Lush green grass surrounded the front of the building, and it was just possible to see the lake, reflecting in its calmness the beauty of the castle above it and the blue skies above that.

In the ground just to one side of the main entrance stood a large, open-walled marquee, several flags flying from the top and on tall poles around it. They could see small lines of chairs and a small stage set for the band that would be playing for the following evening's entertainment.

"It looks beautiful." Hermione said, almost wistfully and the three males stared at her as she walked on, her head tilted slightly to one side.

"You think you'll ever get married, Harry?" Ron asked absently as he watched her walk away.

Harry glanced uncomfortably at Ginny's father standing next to him. He wasn't looking at Harry exactly, but did have a small smile on his face that indicated he had heard his son's question.

"Maybe one day." Harry said, looking back at the school in all it's splendour, fondness for the place causing a strong longing within his heart. "I'd like to have the chance once all this is over."

The thoughtful mood died suddenly as Harry spoke, both Weasley's sensing something darker in Harry's words as he started to follow Hermione.

"How's he doing?" Arthur asked his son quietly.

"Compared to what he has been?" Ron shrugged. "He's changed a lot since the beginning of the summer. Hermione and I have both noticed it. But he still has his moments, like then. It's almost as if he's scared to think about the future in case it doesn't happen."

Arthur nodded. "And you?"

Ron looked at his dad, wondering in what context the question was being asked.

"I'm going to be there with him every step of the way." he finally said in a firm voice.

Arthur nodded, and placed a hand on his son's shoulder, knowing that son was fully aware of what his words may mean.

It didn't take long to walk up to the castle, the bright afternoon making the walk pleasant and enjoyable, and Harry was once more laughing and joking with his friends as they walked up the length of road to the front doors where they were greeted by Ginny who had been sunning herself of the steps waiting for them.

"How did it go?" she asked excitedly.

"Both passed." Hermione said proudly, and Ginny gave a little whoop as she wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Harry smiled and returned the hug, smelling the sun lotion she had put on and wishing that he never had to let her go.

She pulled away from him quickly though, and grabbed his hand. "C'mon," she said. "Everyone's waiting for you."

"What?" Harry asked, shooting a questioning glance at Ron and Hermione as they followed behind.

He was dragged up the stone steps by his red-headed girlfriend, tripping slightly on the top step and stumbling against her as she used her other hand to help him right himself, still half pulling him through the open doors.

"Where are we going?" he asked, half laughing and half confused as they raced down a corridor, Ron and Hermione following with Arthur Weasley at a slower pace.

"You'll see." Ginny said, turning a sharp corner without warning, causing Harry to kick a suit of armour in the shin as he passed.

"Sorry!" he laughed over his shoulder, then shook his head, half wondering why he had apologised to the inanimate thing that was annually charmed to sing Christmas songs in December.

It made his girlfriend laugh though, and she smiled at him as she dragged him out into the transfiguration court yard, shouting "Surprise!" along with the twenty-or-so other people that were already gathered there.

Harry laughed as Ginny stopped pulling him along, and instead turned to him with a bright smile. The courtyard had been decorated with balloons and party streamers, a long table filled with fine party food took shelter from the sun against one wall, and there were several tables and chairs dotted around for people to sit at.

"This is all for me?" he asked, spying many members of the Order, who waved a greeting at him, and also several friends in his year from school who immediately headed over to congratulate him.

"It's kinda a joint thing for you and Neville." Ginny explained. "He'll be here shortly, had to pick up Luna on the way."

Harry nodded, and started saying hello to his friends, who were all crowded around him.

It only took Neville another half and hour to arrive, and was greeted with as much enthusiasm as Harry was. Both were soon decorated with bright hats, large flashing badges and were followed by a couple of pairs of smacking lips that kept kissing the boys on the cheek whenever they said a trigger word, though in true Weasley form, the trigger word seemed to change every couple of minutes.

After present opening and food, silly games were organised for the younger crowd, whilst the older crowd sat around the tables and talked, watching the teenagers enjoying themselves.

In the middle of all the games, Harry found a blindfold put over his glasses, and was spun around until he was unable to remember which way he was facing.

He stumbled off, chasing noises made by his friends, and soon realising that someone, most likely Hermione, had mastered the art of using magic to throw her voice, causing him to walk forcefully into the table of food after believing her to be cornered.

He grunted in pain as everyone laughed, and spun around, now knowing whereabouts he was in the courtyard, when he heard a smaller voice call out. He froze, and after listening a little longer, lifted one corner of the blindfold and looked down at his feet, ignoring the complaints from his friends as he bent slightly to look under the table.

He smiled a little when he saw a small snake curled up in the corner, obviously scared by all the people that had been walking around.

Harry hissed out a gentle hello, and was rewarded when the snake raised its head to look in his direction.

"You speak my language, boy." the snake hissed to Harry in parseltongue. "I have never known one such as you."

Harry knelt down, aware that some of his friends were coming up behind him to see what he had found.

"There are not many of us." he admitted. "Would you like me to take you away from all this noise?"

The snake hissed disagreeably at his suggestion. "I know what you wizards are like." he said. "I have heard what you do to creatures who are not like yourselves."

Harry shook his head. "We are not all like that." he said, and held out his hand. "I do not wish you any harm, but you are clearly not happy here with all this noise. Let me take you out by the lake where you can live more peacefully."

The snake hesitated, then shifted quickly as a shadow fell over Harry.

"What is it you have there, Harry?" Ginny asked, and watched as the snake rose up defensively.

"I heard him swear when I bumped into the table." Harry explained, making an effort to speak English again.

"Snakes swear?" Ginny asked with a smile. "What are you going to do with him?"

"I'm trying to get him to let me take him outside the castle." Harry replied.

Ginny nodded. "I'll get everyone to stay back," she said, "give you two boys some time to get to know one another." she turned to the snake. "Nice meeting you." she said in a soft voice, and then turned away.

"Was she your mate?" the snake hissed quietly, calmer now Ginny had walked away.

Harry turned back to the snake, slightly shocked by the question. "Not in the way that you'd take a mate." he said, hoping the snake would understand. "But I'm hoping that one day she might."

The snake nodded its long head, it's tongue flickering slightly before it began to uncurl itself.

"What is your name, boy?" it asked, sliding slowly towards him.

"Harry Potter." Harry replied, leaving his hand resting palm up on the floor, allowing the snake to make its own judgement. "Do you have a name?"

"Viperidae."

Harry nodded, and the snake slowly lid onto his hand. It was larger than Harry first thought when he had seen it curled in the corner, and it took two hands for him to lift the foot long snake comfortably.

"I'll just take you straight outside the front." Harry said as they made their way across the courtyard and into the school, ignoring the looks his friends were giving him. They didn't seem scared as they had in his second year, but it was clear they were still uneasy at the his use of Parseltongue. "There are plenty of places for you to hide, and it will be much more quieter then here. Though there is a wedding going on out there tomorrow, so I wouldn't hang around too long."

"Wedding?" the snake asked, its tongue flicking constantly as they moved.

"It's part of the ritual we have before taking a mate." Harry explained, finding it surprisingly easy to talk in such a way to the snake. "It's a celebration of finding one another."

The snake nodded. "We have a similar ritual." it said. "We all get together to find a mate. It is vital to our survival that we meet at such times, else we would no longer be."

"I wouldn't say our ritual would be vital to survival." Harry mused in parseltongue. "But it certainly reminds us how to live."

He walked across the main hall of the school, looking around more than he had before when he had run in with Ginny and noticed the doors to the main hall were open, the tables looking strangely bare without the usual presence of students there.

A couple more strides had taken him out the front doors and back into the sunshine. He quickly side stepped down the steps, and move to the right, where there were some bushes next to the stone wall. He gently lowered the snake down.

"You'll be safe enough there for the meantime." Harry said. "No doubt when its cooler you can find your way back to the forest, or some other safe place."

The snaked nodded once more. "Thank you, Harry Potter." it said, and quickly manoeuvred it's way underneath a thick bush, where Harry lost sight of it.

"You're welcome." he said in English, and looked up when a shadow fell on him to see Ginny standing on the stairs looking down at him.

"I thought you'd like to go for a small walk with me, oh Great Saviour of Snakes." she said with a smile.

Harry smiled back, standing up and taking her hand as she stepped down the last couple of stairs. "I would like nothing more." he assured her, and the two of them walked hand in hand down to the lake side.


	10. Aunt Muriel

Chapter 10.

The next morning the whole castle seemed to buzz with excitement for the upcoming wedding, though some of the residents there were feeling a little worse from wear thanks to the birthday party the day before.

Several of Harry's friends had been invited to Bill's wedding the following day, so a large group of them had spent an enjoyable evening in the Gryffindor common room, sharing summer stories and playing games. Harry and Neville had been treated to a joint present of a bottle of Ogden's finest fire whiskey to celebrate their coming of age and had shared the drink with all those present, leaving them all slightly groggy in the morning until Fred and George had bounced happily down the dormitory stairs with a dark bottle filled with a dubious liquid.

"It's one of our most useful concoctions." Fred insisted, pouring it out for all those who were holding their heads and squinting at the bright sunshine that poured in through the window.

"It's amazing what can happen when you start mixing pepper-up potion with energy drinks." George said. "Rest assured, it has been well tested by yours truly."

Fred offered a goblet of the potion to Harry. "C'mon, oh-Brave-one." he said, shaking the thick liquid slightly so that its fumes rose up into the air, and laughed a little as Harry's skin turned slightly green. "It'll help."

Harry took the goblet, and ignored the resulting cheer from the twins as he held his nose with one hand and raised the drink to his lips with the other. "This bedder workt" he said, his voice affected by his hangover and the firm grip on his nose, and with one movement tossed back the contents of the goblet, trying hard not to wince at the taste.

He let go of his nose, well aware of his friends' gazes resting upon him as he rolled his tongue around his mouth a little, unsure of whether or not the taste was one he liked or not.

The potion only took moments to take affect, however, and he found his muggy head clearing and his stomach quickly settling.

He looked at the empty goblet and nodded slightly, a smile breaking his lips. "Not bad." he said grudgingly and laughed as the twins were suddenly charged by the other occupants of the common room, each wanting some of the hang-over reliever.

The wedding was timed to start at three that afternoon, though Molly Weasley had insisted that her sons, Harry and Hermione get ready a lot earlier in order to help greet the guests and direct them to their seats. By one o'clock, Harry was standing with his two best friends near the main entrance the open walled marquee, ready to meet and great relatives and direct them to their seats.

Harry subconsciously rubbed the sleeve of his fine wedding robes. He had been handed them this morning by Molly with the rest of her sons, and had insisted that, as an honorary member of the Weasley family, he was to wear the same colours as the rest of them.

Harry half smiled at the reaction his protests had caused. The twins had immediately started going on about how his presence in Weasley robes would bring fame to their family, Bill and Charlie about how Harry was man enough to be one of his best men any day, and Ron about how he had spent so much time with the family he might as well look at one.

But it was Molly's reaction that had caused him to take the robes without further argument. She had grasped his upper arms, forcing him to look in her eyes, and said in a low voice that he was loved as much as any one of her sons and that he was to enjoy the day with the rest of his family.

It wasn't so much her words that convinced Harry, but the meaning in her eyes. She was well aware that this was likely to be the last time the family would be together before the war started in force and they were all to enjoy it as much as they could, to remind themselves what it is to be free and happy.

So now Harry stood in the sunlight, wearing dark coloured robes made out of a light-weight material so that they wouldn't get too hot in the sunlight. They were hemmed with red silk and were worn over a pair of dark trousers and a red shirt that complimented the Weasley hair very well.

"How does it feel to be Weasley for a day?" Hermione asked, nudging Harry with a shoulder.

She was wearing a light pink summer dress that fell just below her knees and brown hair flowed straight and shining from beneath a pretty straw hat, small pink flowers nestled in it's ribbon.

Harry shrugged. "Doesn't really feel any different." He said with a smile. "I am looking forward to the wedding though."

Hermione nodded. "I've never been to a wizarding wedding before." she said. "I went to my cousin's the summer before last though. It was very nice, if on a lot smaller scale than this."

"I've been to loads of weddings." Ron said. "Bill may be the first to get married in our family, but we have plenty of cousins that have already beaten him to the post." he plucked at one of his sleeves, but Harry had already noted that Ron had seemed pleased with the way he had looked when he had put his robes on first thing that morning.

"This would be my first, muggle or wizard." he admitted. "Probably why I'm actually quite excited about all this."

Ron and Hermione laughed as the twins walked up.

"What we miss?" Fred asked, pretending to look slightly put out that he and George weren't part of the joke.

When Ron explained the twins immediately flanked Harry, one hand on each of his shoulders.

"So Potter-Weasley is all excited, is he?"

"That will all be very well until he meets Aunt Muriel, isn't that right, Fred?"

"Indeed, George. And the rest of all our relatives."

"We'll give you a hint, Potter-Weasley." George said, leaning in closed over Harry's shoulder and pointing at one set of chairs. "All those who speak English will be sitting over there."

"And all those that don't will be sitting over there." Fred added, pointing at the other line of chairs.

Without missing a beat both twins reached up and ruffled Harry's hair.

Harry growled and darted away from them, frantically trying to get his hair to stay reasonably flat.

"Oh, and I'd get your hair done before Aunt Muriel gets here." Fred added with a grin. "She'll have you on her lap trying to tame it before you can say "I'm Harry Potter"!"

And they walked away laughing.

"Is she really that bad?" Hermione asked, trying to help Harry swat his hair down whilst trying to hold back a smile as the stubborn locks bounced back up.

Ron groaned. "Worse!" he said. "She always forgets people's names and is constantly asking questions and barking orders. And when she's had a few too many sherry's she might start going on about something that happened when she was a child. And you can't ignore her, cause she'll know. And you can't make excuses to run away, cause she's an old lady. And she won't let you escape for hours on end…"

"Or maybe you just aren't brave enough to stand up for yourself against a helpless old woman." Hermione noted, huffing a little and taking a step back from Harry, looking with dismay at his hair.

"It's hopeless isn't it." Harry said in defeat and groaned when Hermione nodded.

He glanced down at his wrist and noted the time from his watch. "I've still got time to run back in to fix it." he said, turning to the castle and breaking into a jog.

"Why bother?" Ron called. "You know it'll just stand up again in five minutes."

Harry just waved a hand over his shoulder and carried on jogging up to the front entrance to the castle, taking the steps two at a time and dashing into the entrance hall, making his way to the nearest set of toilets.

Ten minutes later, Harry swore at the mirror who had started laughing hysterically at his efforts to tame his unruly hair and, after casting a few threats to smash the enchanted glass, left the toilets grumpy and a little resentful to his father for passing on the genes that made him look so scruffy.

"Now, boy, what's the bother?"

Harry looked up and spotted an elderly lady standing on the other side of the entrance hall.

She was wearing the strangest outfit Harry had ever seen on a witch, and he had seen his fair share at the large gathering the Quidditch world cup had brought a couple of years before. It took a while to realise that it was a very dated dress she was wearing, an odd shade of burgundy mixed with green lace and it had a white collar and frills around the wrists. The outfit was topped off with a large necklace of yellow beads and small green-buckled shoes.

Harry almost forgot to breathe when he realised it looked very similar to the robe Ron had been forced to wear during the Yule Ball the year of the triwizard tournament, and the lady's next question confirmed her identity to Harry.

"Come, come help your Aunt Muriel, boy." she said, waving her free hand over. Her other hand was clasped around a pale wooden walking stick, not straight like those used by most muggles, but it bent several times up its length, making Harry wonder if the muggle perception of witches had come from actual visual sightings.

He shuffled his way over, aware of trying to seek an escape route without seeming to obvious.

"Don't make excuses, lad." Ron's aunt said, waving her hand again. "We are both going to the same place, are we not? So what excuse have you not to help someone six times your age?"

Harry shook his head slightly, pulling together his Gryffindor courage as he neared. Hermione's words rang in his ears from their conversation with Ron earlier, and swore that after facing dragons, Basilisks, Death Eaters and Voldemort, a little old lady was nothing to fear.

He smiled, hoping that he had inherited his father's charm as well as his misbehaving hair. "It would be an honour to escort you outside, ma'am." he said, offering the crook of his arm to her.

The old lady paused, contemplating Harry's offer through half-moon shaped glasses, not that dissimilar to Dumbledore's. Her suspicious eyes seemed to read his thoughts and Harry realised that she was probably not as insane as Ron made her out to be, probably deceiving her relatives for her own amusement.

In that moment, something passed between them and she smiled at Harry, taking his elbow with one bony hand and allowing him to lead them both to the door.

"It's nice to see that there are still some gentlemen left in the wizarding world." she said. "You aren't a Weasley though, but you are wearing Weasley robes. Who are you boy?"

"Harry." Harry said. "Harry Potter."

Ron's aunt sighed as they walked out the entrance hall and into the sunlight. She held her head up to soak up the warmth of the sun before allowing Harry to help her down the stone stairs that were not a little worn after centuries of use.

"Now that's a name that has been in the papers a lot over the past few years." she said. "Most of it complete rot, I'm sure. Never believe what that Skeeter woman says, her mother was the only woman I know that could exaggerate better than her, and look where it got them!

"But you can't blame a boy for turning out as he has with what has gone on in his life."

Harry frowned slightly, wondering if he had been wrong in the assumption that Aunt Muriel was completely sane. She was talking about him as if he wasn't there.

"Complete tosh! A boy expected to save the wizarding world! Who in their right mind would expect a boy that age to be able to cope with such a task?"

"More than you think." Harry replied quietly.

"Piffle! People only do what they're told. And what they're told normally comes from the media. And the media only tells one of two things. It either reports the truth, which is often too scary to listen to. Or it lies, pretending everything is okay. Most accept the latter knowing it to be untrue, but unable to find anything else to believe in. At least until they see something to prove otherwise. But a baby! Defeating one of the greatest wizards of all time!"

She snorted. "Complete and utter nonsense! I'm sure the boy doesn't even remember the day, let alone know what charms were in place to ensure his survival."

Harry caught her glance at him out of the corner of her eye and refrained from interrupting her tirade, wondering if there was direction to her seemingly pointless talk.

"It would take a man to let people know that things can and will be okay." she said. "One brave and true, very much Gryffindor to the bone. But maybe with a slight slyness. Someone who knows that the direct approach isn't always the best one. Slytherin tendencies I believe."

"What do you know about Slytherin tendencies?" Harry said, knowing that very few people knew what the hat had discussed with him the first time he had placed it on his head.

The old lady stopped and looked at Harry as if she was about to reveal a great secret.

"I was Slytherin." she replied.

Harry couldn't stop the grin that came to his face. Her words should have come as a shock, after all Ron had boasted many generations of Gryffindors to his family name. But the way she said it, in a dark whisper as if it were taboo to say, nearly had Harry in stitches.

"It wasn't all bad." she said, standing up straighter and continuing in a normal voice. "It taught me how to live to this age, didn't it? But I don't want my secret to be let out now, you hear?"

Harry shook his head, and quickly drew a cross over his chest, a promise that her secret was safe with him.

"Anyways," Aunt Muriel said, taking Harry's arm again as they resumed their walk. "As I said, it would take a man, brave but clever, to be able to defeat one such as Voldemort."

Silence fell for the first time since Harry had met the lady. For one moment Harry thought it was due to her shock at verbalising the Dark Lord's name, but then realised that it didn't seem to bother her, and instead she was waiting for a response from him.

"People think I'm that man." he said, not quite sure was she was looking for him to say.

"Pah!" the old lady threw up her hand, stick and all, and showed her disgust at Harry's answer as he ducked to defend himself. "you aren't a man. You're a scrawny teenager barely taller than me, a hundred-and-eight year old woman. I am more man than you!"

Harry, slightly put out at her response, had to refrain from commenting that she had more of a beard than he did which could be used to prove that point, but sucked in a breath instead and asked "So you think _you_ can defeat him?"

"Gosh no. Don't you read the papers, boy? Harry Potter is the one to defeat him, not me! But I feel that he needs to discover his other side to succeed. Not all this rushing in and killing dragons with broomsticks nonsense, but real planning and thinking."

Harry shook his head and watched Ron try to hide behind Hermione as they approached where the chairs were lined up for the ceremony.

"I'm not trying to say Potter is the wrong man for the job." the lady said in a softer voice as they moved between the seats. "But he has a long way to go, and there are so many things to be learnt before he can be man enough to face the wizard who killed his parents."

She turned into the third row of chairs from the front and sat down on the aisle seat, shifting herself around until she was settled.

"That's the ticket." she said and looked up at Harry who was still standing there. "Thank you for assisting an old lady, boy." she said. "You are not a Weasley though, what's your name?"

"Harry." Harry repeated. "Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter." the old lady nodded. "Now that's a name that has been in the papers a lot over the past few years…"

Harry shook his head slightly, unable to believe that she was repeating herself and only just caught her wink as he was grabbed by two pairs of strong hands that lifted his feet clear from the ground and carried him, running, up the aisle.

"Hi Aunt Muriel…"

"…Nice seeing you again…"

"Bye Aunt Muriel!"

Once out of the marquee, Harry was allowed to put his feet back on the floor and looked to see Fred and George looking at him concernedly.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Fred asked as he brushed a hand through his hair, ruffling it up again.

"Survive your experience?" George continued, straightening out Harry's robes.

"Ron let us know what was happening, and we decided to save you."

Harry shook his head slightly. "She was okay." he said, and fought to argue his case when the twins looked at him sceptically. "No really, I honestly don't think she's as batty as you make her out to be."

The twins shook their heads at him. "It takes one to know one, Harry." Fred said, then nodded his head at his twin. "Let's go, George, there are Veela cousins to look after!"

Harry watched as the twins walked away to where some of the guests were arriving then went to join Hermione and Ron who were standing a little way off from the marquee greeting some Weasley relatives, easily identified by their red hair.

"Have fun?" Hermione asked with a smile.

Harry shrugged. "She's just an old lady." he said.

"She's not any normal old lady." Ron said. "She's the evil incarnate. Placed on the earth to inflict boredom and torture onto us poor, innocent young 'uns!"

"And I think you've been reading too many books, Ronald." Hermione said.

"Ha! "too many books" says she who carries a full library around with her!" Ron retorted.

"Calm it down, you two." Harry said, knowing the starting signs of a classic Ron versus Hermione fight after spending the summer with the two. "It's supposed to be a day of happiness, not really the time to fall out."

Hermione looked at Ron and nodded slightly. "Fair enough." she said.

Ron nodded. "Let's just enjoy the day."

Harry sighed mentally, thankful that he had managed to postpone another bickering session from the two.

They spent the next hour greeting guests and assisting them to their seats. Harry was particularly happy to see Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks - known as Tonks by pretty much everyone. It was nice to see his father's friend find someone who could make him happy in a time of much hurt and unrest.

"Still as short as ever, eh Harry!" Tonks said with a smile, letting go of Remus' arm to give him a hug.

"Leave him alone." Remus said, also giving the son of his old friend a welcome hug. "his father was one of the tallest in our year, it won't be long before he hits a growth spurt. How are you doing, Harry?"

"Not so bad, especially without the insults." he said with a smile. "How are you both?"

"Happy," Tonks said, taking hold of Remus' arm again. "I've managed to convince this old dog that he's got some inner puppy in him yet!"

Harry pulled a face. "That was more than I needed to know, Tonks." he said, and then noticed the robes she was wearing. "Why are you in your Auror robes?"

Tonks looked down. "Oh, there are several of us posted on duty today." she said. "Moody has been here most of the morning, scoping things out and making sure things are safe. Kingsley will be around later, though he has some meetings with the minister before he can get away."

"Things still going well under Scrimgeour then?" Harry asked.

Tonks stuck her tongue out and shook her head. "He has the right idea, but has a twisted way of getting things done. He may not pretend that things are all going to be okay and his intentions may be good, but he still has Politician in him."

"No doubt he'll be making a visit some point over the next couple of days." Remus added. "He seems determined to get you to support his point of view. Hopefully he won't get silly in his quest to have you has his poster boy and forget the reason why he needs a poster boy in the first place."

Harry shook his head. "I think I've made it clear what side I'm on." he said, casting his eyes down the slope to where Dumbledore's tomb stood proud against the glistening water of the lake. "He may try to get me to do what he wants, but realistically he knows he has no chance."

Tonks smiled. "Good for you, Harry." she said, and the three of them looked up at the marquee as Charlie shouted an announcement that the wedding would be starting soon. "We'd better get a move on." she said. "I want to get an aisle seat if possible."

Harry watched her walk off, pulling on Remus' hand as she went.

"What's her rush?" he muttered as he followed.

"I think she wants to catch the bouquet." Remus said quietly over the shoulder with a groan.

"Too right I do!" Tonks said with a grin, overhearing his words, and Harry laughed as Remus hung his head and followed her into the tent like a condemned stray.


	11. The Wedding

Chapter 11.

The wedding was spectacular in Harry's eyes. His experience of muggle television had led him to expect hymns and prayers and lots speaking from the minister, but the wizarding world seemed more centred around the blessing and celebrating of the union of two people, rather than on protocol and rituals that Harry had seen in the muggle-world.

Not to say that there weren't rituals that needed to be carried out within a wizarding wedding. Harry sat mesmerized from the moment Fleur walked up the centre aisle, her shimmering white dress embroidered with red roses around the hems and flanked on either side by her sister and Ginny, both looking stunning in their golden dresses.

He watched as the bride stood next to Bill, the tall wizard looking proud and handsome in his Weasley robes even with new scars marring his face, and they took each other's hand. Bill's brother, Charlie, and Fleur's sister then wrapped a fine length of ribbon around their hands and wrists, a symbol of their acceptance of the union.

The ceremony then passed quickly, a few promises shared between the two before they vowed to be faithful and dedicated to each other always. In that moment, the ribbon glowed bright and turned into a ring on each of the newly weds' fingers.

A cheer went up through the crowd, and Harry stood alongside everyone else, expressing their joy and congratulations with enthusiastic applause.

"That was short, but so beautiful." Hermione said, wiping one cheek with a smile on her face.

Harry smirked slightly, wondering if Ron had realised that the girl he fancied was clinging tightly onto his elbow.

"Maybe one day it will be one of us." He hinted, ignoring Ron's accusing look and watching the crowd as it surged forwards to congratulate the new couple.

Within moments he found himself pushed to the back of the crowd and being ignored as the attention focused on the main characters of the two families, but he didn't mind one bit as he stood just outside the tent watching the looks of happiness on his friend's faces, photo's being taken randomly by a number of photographers who had been hired for the event.

A flash of white caught the corner of his eye, distracting him from the happy scene, and he looked down towards the lake to spy the tomb that his mentor had been buried in earlier that summer.

The smile fell from his face as the memory of the prophecy and lessons of horcruxes wiped away the happiness he was feeling.

"I wouldn't feel so bad." a male voice behind him said, and Harry turned to see Remus had followed his walk away from the celebration and was standing a few feet behind him. "He's here somewhere."

Harry frowned slightly, unsure of what Remus meant.

"I'm not one to really think about the afterlife." the werewolf went on to explain, coming to stand next to Harry. "But I know Albus wouldn't have missed this if he could have helped it. He loved to attend weddings, especially between his students. Makes me wonder sometimes if he had ever been married when he was younger, or whether it was something that he had missed out on."

"I can't imagine Dumbledore ever being married." Harry said, looking back to the tomb. "But I don't really know anything about him."

Remus nodded in agreement. "And yet nearly every student that has been taught under him has loved him as if he were their own grandfather." he admitted, and smiled sadly. "Hermione mentioned that you had found your parents home over the summer."

Harry nodded. "And their graves." he said. "I really should have made the time to see them sooner."

"It wasn't your fault, Harry." Remus said, hearing the regret in Harry's voice. "If we had really thought about it, we would've realised that you had never been to visit. One of us should have taken you at some point. I did mean to take you after Sirius died, but had second thoughts when I thought about the grief you must already have been going through."

"It really doesn't matter." Harry assured his older friend. "I've seen them now, and know that they'll be waiting when my time comes. There are plenty of things for me to do here first, though."

Remus nodded. "Like getting married?" he asked a little slyly, nudging Harry's shoulder and nodded his head to where Ginny was standing within a group of family members, her red hair falling to her shoulders from a loose knot on the back of her head, small yellow flowers painstakingly weaved into the strands. She looked over when she felt their gaze and smiled at Harry before being distracted by a request for another photograph.

"I'm seventeen years old, Remus." Harry said. "it's a bit early to be thinking about anything like that, especially with what I've got lined up ahead of me." He smiled slightly though. "But I bet you've been planning a wedding all summer."

Remus laughed and shook his head. "I'll be leaving that up to Tonks, I think." he said. "Merlin knows she's dropped enough hints. I just need to pluck up the courage to ask her." he looked into Harry's eyes. "You're a strange one, Harry." he said, seemingly changing the subject.

"How so?"

"Most boys your age would be blushing and running from any conversation about commitment. Take Ron for example."

Harry glanced over at his friend who was staring goofily at people, Hermione's hand firmly in his own, and occasionally turning as red as his hair when someone pointed it out. Harry watched as he tried to shake Hermione's hand lose after a comment from the twins, but he had to give the witch her due, she held on as tight as he would the snitch.

"Maybe I'm just a bit more rational than they are right now." Harry said. "I've thought a lot over the summer, and the biggest reality check I've had is that I may not be around this time next year, next month, or even next week. They are full of plans of the future, about what's going to happen when they finish Hogwarts, but I don't think I can go back this year. And if I don't go back I can't apply for any jobs that I wanted. I've only started dating Ginny again because she forced me to see that I can't live without her. But I daren't plan anything permanent just in case Voldemort takes it all away again."

Remus put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, but really couldn't find any words to say that would help Harry's predicament.

"It doesn't stop me from helping you plan your wedding though." Harry said after a few moments of silence, trying to break the sombre mood that had descended on the two of them. "So, are you going to match the colour of the bridesmaid's dresses to Tonks' hair, or Tonks' hair to the bridesmaids' dresses?"

He laughed as Remus reached out to swat his head, but the moment was cut short when the two were plunged briefly into darkness as something passed over them, blocking the sunlight.

They looked up as some people started to scream in the crowds, spying a large, black bird swooping above them, circling the crowd congregated outside the marquee as if it were looking for someone.

"What is it?" Harry asked, unable to relate the oversized bird to a species he recognised.

"I don't know." Remus replied, stepping in front of Harry and drawing his wand. "But I wouldn't need three guesses to work out who sent it."

Their fears weren't wasted as the bird spotted Harry and changed it's direction, swooping lower over the anxious crowd as it increased it's speed.

"HARRY, GET DOWN!"

The next few moments seemed to run in slow motion as the giant bird swooped closer.

They watched as Kingsley, a tall, dark-skinned Auror started running towards them, several of the older Weasleys following closely behind him but they were all too far away to be any direct help at the diving monster.

Harry heard another shout and felt someone rush up behind him. Remus turned to place a hand on his shoulder, forcing him to his knees on the grass as the bird came closer pushing his head down and covering his body with his own as the bird called out, it's cry sending deep shivers of dread through Harry's body.

There was a loud flutter of wings and Harry felt a jolt as something heavy hit the two of them, but the cry of pain he was expecting from Remus didn't come, instead he heard a scream from a female, and managed to turn his head enough to see Tonks fall to the ground, her wand falling from her hand as the bird sank his talons into her shoulder.


	12. Voldemort's Gift

Chapter 12:

Harry watched as the bird released its grip on Tonks and landed a few feet from where he and Remus were now lying on the ground, unwilling to move in case they provoked an attack from the abnormal sized bird.

It cocked it's head to one side, blood-red eyes meeting Harry's emerald ones as it sought identification of the correct target. It seemed satisfied after the briefest of moments and quickly dropped a parchment envelope to the ground before flapping it's great wings and taking off, dodging the curses sent by those who were running up and escaping quickly into the bright summer sky.

"Tonks!"

The weight above Harry disappeared as Remus rolled off him and raced to his loved one. But even though he was also concerned that Tonks was hurt, Harry was unable to take his eyes off the envelope on the ground in front of him.

He slowly reached out and lifted the envelope, ignoring the shouts of his friends as they descended on them, most going to help Remus with Tonks who was still conscious but was holding her shoulder as it bled.

"Who's it from?" Ron asked from behind Harry's left shoulder as he sat up.

"Who do you think?" George replied, kneeling down on one knee in front of Harry, his wand still out.

"It's typical that Mouldywarts wouldn't want to use traditional owl-mail to wish us all a happy day." Fred added bitterly, still scanning the skies as if he expected the monster mail-carrier to come back.

"What does it say?" Ginny asked softly.

Harry sucked in a sharp breath and snapped out of his trance, everything speeding up to true time as he gripped the envelope tighter.

He stood up and started walking down the slope to the water's edge. A number of people started to follow him until they were stopped by Moody, the one-eyed wizard indicating they should hold back whilst he followed the boy.

Harry stood at the edge of the lake, a few meters from where Dumbledore's tomb stood, clutching the envelope as if it were the only thing keeping his feet attached to the planet.

"What did he send you boy?"

Harry turned his head slightly to see Moody limping up to him.

He looked down at the envelope, and with one quick glance at the Auror standing next to him slit the parchment open with one finger, opening the missive and wincing as he started to read the spidery red handwriting.

"_My dearest Harry_" the letter read. "_I apologize for my tardiness in wishing you the happiest of birthdays, but I have had much to organise recently, the most time-consuming of these being the progression of my plans now that Dumbledore has finally passed away. _

"_I am sending this letter as the final chance to take up an offer I extended to you several years ago. As you come of age, I am sure you are aware that many are requesting your loyalties, a devotion to their causes, and I'm sure you know how much I hate to be left out of such things. But now you have lost your mentor, I am once again offering you the chance to learn under the greatest wizard alive. Come, join me and I can promise you things that you can only start to dream of. _

"_Failure to respond to this letter will be taken as a rejection of my offer, and in consequence I would assume that your chosen cause will become one that may have an effect on the outcome of my own. Because of this, rest assured that your death is next on my list, followed quickly by those of your friends. _

"_I wish you the happiest of days, Harry Potter. Lord Voldemort."_

Harry frowned as he read the letter, the anger building so deep within his chest that he was finding it hard to breathe, and it wasn't until he felt a large hand on his shoulder that he noticed the corners of the letter smouldering between his clenched fingers.

It was several moments before Moody took his hand away from his shoulder and started to speak.

"That wasn't a recruitment letter." he told the younger man. "He won't be waiting for a response from you."

Harry looked at him, still angry enough to feel tears in his eyes. "How do you know that?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"I've dealt with evil wizards like him since I started out as an Auror." the scarred wizard went on to explain. "This letter is sent to remind you that he knows you are now a man and responsible for your own actions. He's hoping it will make you mad enough to make a mistake, to make you think that as a man you can attempt to take him on alone, without your friends."

"But isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" Harry asked, and gasped as his legs were taken out from under him by Moody's cane, and looked up to see the Auror's wand pointing at him.

"I think enough people have told you what I'm about to say and I am going to tell you for the last time Potter." Moody said, barely controlling his voice. "Lord knows I've heard _him_ talk about it since the war started up again." he jerked his head to the tomb beside them. "You are not alone in this fight, Potter. You were never meant to be. We have to work as a team if we are ever to beat this bastard."

"You can tell me that as often as you like." Harry retorted. "It doesn't change the fact that I nearly got you all killed again."

"All of us?"

Harry glared at Moody, but some of the fight went out of him. "Well, Tonks." he admitted.

Moody turned slightly and shouted over his shoulder. "TONKS!"

Harry watched as two figures turned from the crowd milling by the marquee.

"Are you dead yet?" Moody called.

"Not by a long shot!" Harry heard his friend call back, and watched as her hair turned back to it usual pink colour. "But I'll be needing another new set of robes!"

"Listen, lad." Moody said, turning back and reaching his hand out to Harry to help him to his feet. "She knows what she's getting herself into. We all do. It's part of what we agreed to do when we joined the order. And Tonks is even more aware of it than most, as she sees this sort of action most days in her line of work as an Auror. What one person does is not going to make a difference in a war like this."

"Yeah? Well that's not what Dumbledore thought." Harry muttered. "Not to mention the prophecy that practically mentions me by name." He turned away from Moody and started walking following the slight path that followed around the lake.

"Even the best Auror has a team behind him, Potter." Moody called after him. "A wizard who tries to take on the world by himself is liable to fail. Believe me, I know. Just look at me! I learnt that lesson the hard way."

Harry stopped and cocked his head to the side to show he was listening. He heard the tell-tale clipping of Moody's wooden leg on the stones as he came up behind him, and felt the knurled hand land once more on his shoulder. "Voldemort cannot begin to comprehend how lucky you are to have friends like you have. And that, my boy, is what will cause him to fail."

"You really think so?" Harry asked, a spark of hope returning to his chest.

"I know so, Potter." Harry had never known the seasoned Auror speak so softly. "The Order know you were planning on setting out on whatever quest it was that Dumbledore has left you, but McGonagall, myself and several others have a proposition for you that we'd like to go through in more details later."

"And that is?" Harry said, hoping beyond everything that they weren't going to turn politician on him and try to turn him into some sort of Hogwarts golden child.

"To help you train." Harry stayed silent, unsure what to make of such an offer. "We know you're eventually going to head off and do your own thing. And no doubt you are going to take your two friends and meet trouble head-first along the way. McGonagall has suggested to stay enrolled here at school, but to remove you from normal classes and let us train you privately. We can teach you things you are more likely going to need to know when in a dog-fight with Death Eaters, not to mention curse identification and ward manipulation. What do you think?"

Harry thought a few moments. "And Ron and Hermione?" he asked. "Can they join me?"

Moody hesitated a few moments. "This is where McGonagall starts pulling the strings that old codger used to." he said, once more indicating the tomb with his staff. "The training is opened primarily to you, but with the hope that you'll continue training your army, including your closest friends. This way you can cement your learning by teaching your friends what you know…"

"Not to mention that they'll tell their family and friends that they can see I'm training hard to defeat Tom." Harry said, and was surprised to see Moody grin at him.

"There'll be no fooling you, Potter!" he said with a laugh. "But you're right. Once word spreads that you are actively engaging in the war, then we can only hope that others will rise to the cause. We are planning on running external training groups, private meetings to help people learn how to protect themselves and their families. Knowing that you are willing to fight will be reason enough not to submit to Voldemort and his twisted intentions as they have something better to fight for."

Harry rubbed his eyes behind his glasses, feeling the start of a headache forming. "Why do I feel like such a pawn in a losing game of chess?" he muttered.

"But you aren't." Moody reminded him. "You've chosen to be the strongest piece on the board, and will rise to the challenge. You always have done, Potter, and you know deep down inside that you always will."

Harry walked up to the white tomb of Albus Dumbledore and placed his hand against the cool stone, remembering the conversation they had had in his office where Harry had openly admitted that, even without the prophecy, he would want to be actively involved in the fight.

He nodded and turned to face Moody, pulling his shoulders back and raising his chin. "But I have the freedom to leave the grounds whenever I choose." he said, laying down his conditions. "I still have things to finish."

Moody nodded. "We wouldn't have it any other way, Potter." he said. "Though I'm sure you'll appreciate that any one of us would be there to help you should you ask it."

Harry nodded again and breathed deep, semi-relieved that he would have opportunity to practise all the theory he had learnt over the summer before jumping head-long into the Horcrux hunt.

"Come, then." Moody said, turning to head back up to the castle. "We'll talk details later. No doubt the party will continue, though maybe within the shelter of the castle walls itself to prevent the possibility of other uninvited guests."

Harry nodded slightly and walked slowly alongside the older man as he struggled up the slope in the heat. By the time they had reached the main steps of the school building, Harry was grinning to himself at the number of curses the scarred wizard could make against the accursed British Weather.

He was still smiling as his closest friends walked forwards to meet him, all the others had obviously already made their way into the castle.

"Is everything okay?" Hermione asked, as Moody gave one more pat on Harry's shoulder before limping his way into the castle.

"It will be, one day." Harry replied, taking hold of Ginny's hand and giving it a quick squeeze of reassurance.

"What did the letter say?" Ron asked.

"Just what you'd expect. Wishing me a very unhappy birthday, hoping that today is a disaster. The usual!"

"If you're getting regular correspondence from the darkest wizard of the century, I would be rather concerned!" Hermione said, realising that Harry was trying to make light of the situation.

Harry shrugged. "Well, if I'm spending so much time with all of you, who else am I supposed to write to?" he said, but sobered up slightly at his next question. "How is Tonks?"

"She's fine." Neville assured him. "Madame Pomfrey has taken her up for a proper check over, though Tonks was arguing that it was just a scratch all the way up the main staircase."

"C'mon." Ginny said, tugging gently on his hand. "Everyone else has made their way into the courtyard where we had your party yesterday. They figured it would be nicer to have the wedding photos taken there instead of the great hall."

"But where it is safer." Harry muttered.

Ginny glared at him. "Don't start that again, Mister Potter." she said firmly. "You are going to enjoy today, even if I have to hurt you." and she leant forward to kiss him smartly on the lips.

"Like that is really going to hurt him." Ron muttered when they hadn't broken apart for a few seconds. "C'mon you lot." he said to the others. "They'll follow soon, but I don't need to see this."

"Think you're missing out on something, eh Weasley?" Neville said, a cocky grin on his face as he held an arm out to Hermione and escorted her through the main doors.

"Don't you even think it, Longbottom." Ron growled as he followed them up the stairs.

Harry grinned into Ginny's kiss, and she pulled away with a question in her eyes.

"You think they're ever going to get together?" Harry asked, putting an arm around her shoulders and walking into the school building.

"They will, one day." Ginny replied. "Though whether or not they can stop bickering all the time will remain to be seen."

Harry nodded in agreement, and before long the two of them were being greeted by the other wedding guests as they entered the smaller courtyard.

Harry was unsure for a few moments how his appearance would be taken, but it seemed that Moody had been right and the wedding was continuing as if nothing had happened.

Ginny was called pretty much straight away to stand next to her brothers in a family wedding photo, and gave Harry a quick kiss before she walked away.

The photographer was just lining up his lenses when there was a call from the posing Weasleys. "Hey, Harry, you're in this one too!"

Harry blushed slightly and shook his head, wrapping his arms protectively around himself.

"No thanks."

"But it's a family photo!" one of the twins called out.

"And I'm not a Weasley!" Harry replied.

"Oh, dragon dung!" came a familiar voice behind him, and he turned to see Ron's Aunt Muriel standing there. "Get in that photo, boy. It won't kill you to be part of a proper family for once." and she raised her twisted walking-stick, pushing the end of it into his back between his shoulder blades and forcing him forward where he was welcomed by the arms of Molly Weasley.

Within seconds he found himself standing next to Ginny, her hand wrapped tightly around his own. He ducked forward slightly as he felt his hair being ruffled and turned with a frown to see Fred and George staring at him innocently.

"What?" George said, raising his hands to show they were empty.

"We just wanted to make sure you were recognised." Fred said.

"Hey, you think if we get a signed copy we can auction it off?" George asked his brother.

"Be quiet you two." their mother said, adjusting her wide rimmed hat, "and smile for the camera."

Harry stood smiling shyly as several photo's were taken, and erupted in laughter with everyone else when Ron suddenly turned into a canary, bright yellow feathers flying into the air as he rushed his two identical brothers in attempt to get revenge.

"Haven't he learnt not to eat anything they give him yet?" Harry asked Ginny as they watched the chase.

"Oh, that wasn't a canary cream." the youngest Weasley replied with a laugh, referring to the treats the twins had invented back in their earlier school years at Hogwarts. "That was the icing of the wedding cake. Ron must've stuck his finger in it as we passed the buffet table."

Harry laughed with her and watched as the Delacour family posed around the newly-married couple and had their photos taken, trying hard not to laugh at the moulting yellow feathers that were flying around the courtyard.


	13. An Episode

Chapter 13:

The rest of the afternoon passed pleasantly enough and because it was such a warm evening, the party continued in the courtyard into the night, lit brightly by candles and fairy lights that floated around.

There had been just enough room to re-set the band up in the corner, and Harry had happily shared several dances with Ginny. He'd even plucked up the courage to ask the bride for a dance and had soon been unable to escape the dance floor as he was waltzed around by several female guests of the wedding.

After more partners than he could count he had looked up, concerned that Ginny might see his predicament in the wrong way, but saw her dancing with Charlie and being passed around to a couple of other relatives that Harry had met but couldn't remember the names to. It didn't take much for him to manipulate his current partner around to where she was dancing, and managed to palm his dance partner off so that he could get another dance with his girlfriend.

They danced happily, smirking when they saw Ron trying to pluck up the courage to ask Hermione, and not getting much of a choice when Muriel pulled the same trick that she had with the Harry and the photo, pushing Ron with her walking-stick into the Hermione's dancing path, who happily took Ron's hands and started twirling him around to the lively beat.

It was almost an hour after that when Harry started to feel unwell. His head began to ache, much like it had down by the lake earlier that day, and his energy levels dropped suddenly, making him feel like he had just run a marathon.

"You okay, Harry?" Ginny asked, staring into his eyes concernedly.

"I'm fine." he assured her. "I'm just going to get a drink and rest a while though." he said. "Why don't you go dance with Neville? He's been itching to dance all night but I don't think anyone has asked him yet."

"You sure?" Ginny asked. "You're looking really pale." she brushed her hand against his forehead.

"I'm fine." he repeated. "Go. Have fun. I'll be sitting over there and you can come join me in a minute if you like."

Ginny nodded, still a little unsure. "Okay." she said though, and gave him a quick kiss before walking over to Neville and starting to dance with him.

Harry walked over to the drinks table and picked up a goblet of juice, feeling decidedly worse now that he wasn't putting up a front for his girlfriend.

It took only a few moments for him to decide that the party wasn't where he wanted to be. His chest was now aching slightly and his skin felt slightly warm, as if he were coming down with a fever.

He cast his eyes over the crowd and spotted Ron standing by himself at the food table, filling up a plate with little triangular-cut sandwiches and roasted potatoes.

Harry walked over to Ron and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ron, could you cover for me down here for a while? I'm not feeling too good."

Ron glanced at his friend, slightly shocked to hear his friend admit to feeling anything other than a little bit tired.

"In what way?" he asked, his brow narrowing with concern.

"I don't know." Harry shrugged. "Just weird I guess."

"Big, bad wizard weird, or just weird weird?"

Harry sighed impatiently. "I really don't know, Ron." he said. "Just weird. I'm thinking maybe I was out in the sun too long or something."

"But we've been lying in the sun all summer." Ron ran a quick diagnostic eye over his friend. "You do look a little peaky." he said, observing the greyness around Harry's lips and the thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. "You want me to get mum or Madam Pomfrey?"

Harry shook his head, and startled Ron by losing his balance a little, reaching out and tugging on his friends robes slightly to keep his balance. "I just want to lie down for a while." he said.

Ron nodded and put his plate on the food table. "Okay, mate." he said. "But maybe I ought to make sure you get up those stairs before I start making excuses for you, eh?"

Harry nodded his head once, trying hard not to succumb to the wave of dizziness that caused black splodges to creep in at the edge of his vision.

"C'mon you." Ron said, automatically reaching out to assist his friend out of the courtyard.

Ron looked up and made eye contact with Hermione as they left, giving her a small nod to let her know everything was okay, before walking down the corridor that led to the main hall and helping Harry walk slowly to the bottom of the stairs.

Harry groaned, leaning more and more on Ron's supporting arm as they climbed the stairs, before falling to his knees barely halfway up the first flight.

"C'mon, mate." Ron said, pulling gently on Harry's upper arm to get him to stand. "This really isn't the most ideal place to rest."

"I can't." Harry said, his breath catching as his chest began to feel like it had a wide band tightening around it, preventing him from breathing deeply. He looked up at Ron, panic edging into his voice. "what's wrong with me?"

"I really don't know, Harry." Ron said, glancing up at the top of the stairs and then back down the way they had come. "Let me get you to the bottom of these stairs, I don't want you passing out on me and falling down them head first. Then I can go and get mum or Hermione."

Harry made and effort to stand again, but before he could turn around to head back down the stairs, the tightness around his chest gripped him even harder than before, and he fell forward with a cry as the blood in his head pounded.

Ron tried desperately to hold to him but his grip slipped with the additional weight of his friend, and they both fell down the stairs with a cry, Harry landing forcefully on top of his gangly friend.

The noise soon brought the others from down the corridor, led by Hermione who ran forward, her wand drawn.

"Ron! Harry! Are you both alright?"

Ron groaned, and gently made to push Harry off his chest before seeing the pain etched into his friend's features.

"Harry?" he asked softly.

"It hurts so bad." he heard his friend mumble.

"Ron! What's wrong?"

"It's Harry." Ron said, putting his arms around his friend and gently rolling him to the side so that he could slip out from under him, careful not to make any unnecessary movements. "He wasn't feeling too well, so I was going to help him upstairs to rest, but he collapsed half way up."

His mother knelt down next to her fostered son and gently pushed his sweaty bangs out of his screwed up face. "Harry. Come on, sweet heart. Tell me what's wrong."

"It hurts." she heard him mumble.

"What hurts?"

"It doesn't seem to be his scar." Ron said, pulling himself to his knees. "He usually grips his forehead when Voldemort is getting too emotional."

"Let's get him upstairs and in bed." the Weasley matriarch said. "Someone call for Poppy, and have her meet us in the hospital wing."

Remus stepped forward as Fred and George sprinted up the stairs, and with a wave of his wand levitated Harry so that he could be transported with minimal discomfort.

Harry groaned as he was lifted into the air. He couldn't understand what could be causing so much pain. He was barely aware of Ginny taking his hand as he floated up the stairs he had just fallen down and only vaguely registered the soothing words of encouragement his friends were saying as they followed Remus and himself along the corridors to the hospital wing.

Another tightening deep within his chest caused him to cry out as they entered the hospital, and he heard a crash and a cry of surprise as he was lowered gently onto a soft mattress.

"Get a protective barrier around him!" he heard someone - possibly Moody - order.

"Don't be absurd…!" came the retort, but again all meaning was lost to him as his chest contracted once more.

He felt something surge inside him, and with a jolt of panic responded by trying to push the strange sensation away in the hope that if he were able to compress the feeling then the pain would fade.

"No!"

A shout made him open his eyes, and was started to see the widely spinning eye of Moody barely inches from his own.

"For the sake of Merlin boy, don't try to repress it. It would kill you!"

Harry frowned, hearing the words but his mind was so engrossed with the pain he was feeling he was unable to understand their meaning.

He blinked his eyes tightly as a strike of acute pain lanced through his brain and when it had passed he opened his eyes to see the gentle brown gaze of his best friend had taken Moody's place.

"Harry, you must listen to me." Hermione said gently. "Nod if you can understand me."

Harry frowned slightly, groaning as his stomach clenched and had to bite back the taste of bile that had appeared at the back of his throat. But he sensed that Hermione was about to say something important and so nodded that he was going to pay as much attention as possible to her words.

Hermione glanced at Poppy who was standing to her right, then placed a hand against Harry's face, wincing slightly at the temperature of the fever running through him.

"You must relax Harry, you must let this take its course…" she jerked as another window smashed across the room from where they were sitting, and the vacant bed next to them jerked sharply to the right, slamming against the back of Charlie's knees.

Harry shook his head, unaware of what was going on in the room around him. The surging feeling inside him reminded him too much of the time when Voldemort had possessed his body. The sensation of something foreign forcing its way to the surface scared him so much that he was convinced that what Hermione was telling him was wrong.

"Voldemort…" he grunted out through clenched teeth.

"Trust me, Harry, this has nothing to do with Voldemort." Hermione assured him.

Harry heard someone else mutter something behind him, but a sharp word from another unknown source soon quietened them.

"Please trust me, Harry. We will be able to explain everything when you are better, but you must relax."

Harry almost felt betrayed by her words, but he felt another swell of whatever unnatural magic was inside him, and her words were forgotten as he cried out once more in the effort to fight the imposing feeling.

"Get away from him..."

"Get the wards up…"

He felt an intense heat bleed out of the tightness in his chest, causing all his nerves to ignite, and his voice was raised in a scream accompanied by the shattering of the remaining glass in the room as blackness enclosed on his mind.


	14. A Shocking Discovery

Chapter 14:

He heard the door open behind him, but did not take his gaze away from the glowing summer's scene that was portrayed on the other side of the window from where he was sitting.

"Harry?"

He inclined his head slightly to let his friends know that he knew they were there.

"How are you feeling?" Ron asked as he and Hermione walked up to stand next to where he was sitting.

"Drained." Harry admitted, turning tired eyes to see meet the worried gazes of his friends. "But something feels different. I just can't place what."

Hermione smiled softly, and perched on the cushioned window seat next to him. "That's to be expected." she said. "Has Madam Pomfrey been in since you've been awake?"

Harry shook his head. "No." he said. "I only woke up a little while ago." He looked back out the window at the bright summer's day. "I'm guessing I've been out of it a long time?"

"Only a day." Ron responded. "No one was sure when you'd wake, but we didn't think it was going to be this soon. Not that we could know for sure, there aren't many records of wizards experiencing something like what you have."

"And what was that?" Harry asked, his interest spiked slightly. "What happened to me?"

"Well," Hermione started, with a glance to Ron. "To be honest we can't be sure. Ron was stretching the truth slightly… there aren't _any_ records of anything like this…"

"Great!" Harry rolled his eyes and let his head slump against the stone window frame.

"Its not as bad as you think, mate." Ron said hurriedly. "I mean, all magical folk go through what you have, just not in one go…"

Harry frowned at him, then looked at Hermione to translate.

"All teenage wizards experience changes as they grow older." she started to explain. "We grow taller, smarter… our bodies change…"

"You mean puberty?" Harry said, unsure of where she was going and trying to save her the embarrassment.

She nodded. "But as our bodies change, so does our magic. It grows with us, and becomes stronger through our years at school."

"What has that got to do with what happened to me?" Harry said.

Hermione took a deep breath, worrying her bottom lip as she thought of the best way to explain the situation.

"We think that when Voldemort hit you with the killing curse when you were a baby, he passed onto you a lot of his magic. This is evident in the connection you have with him through your scar and also your parsel-mouth abilities. We also think that this transfer has been limiting the development of your own magic."

"I don't think I understand…"

"We think that the presence of Voldemort's magic in your body has prevented your own magic from growing within you. It was the dominant force within your body, until last night that is. We think that your magic was repressed so much by the presence of his magic that it suddenly burst out. Your magic was retaking over your body, reclaiming what was rightfully yours, and repressing Voldemort's magic to such an extent that yours can now be claimed as the dominant magical force."

Harry frowned at her. "How on earth did you come to a conclusion like that?" he asked.

"Mainly because every time you had a surge of pain on the bed a window smashed, or something was thrown across the room."

"But surely that could be explained by accidental magic." Harry argued. "Whatever it was hurt a lot, and it could've just been some sort of outlet, like when I'm scared or angry."

"Remus thinks that all your accidental magic may have been a sign of your true magic, which is closely linked to your deepest emotions, breaking through the barriers formed by the presence of Voldemort's magic…"

Harry snorted.

"There are also a few physical changes…." Ron offered weakly, trying to help Hermione with her explanation.

Harry's head snapped to him, then looked down at himself. "What do you mean?" he demanded, glancing down at his arms half expecting to have sprouted scales.

"Magical development often goes hand in hand with physical development." Hermione explained. "Seeing your magical growth was restricted, so was your physical…" she stood up and held out a hand as an indication that Harry should stand with her.

He ignored the offered help and uncurled his legs, placing his feet on the floor and using the cushioned seat to push himself up … and up.

His eyes opened wide as he realised that he was now standing several inches above Hermione, who herself had never been called short, and was not far off being eye level with his best friend, who grinned at the look on Harry's face.

"Remus told us that your father used to be the tallest of the marauders." Ron said. "He just assumed that you took your height from your mother, who was apparently quite short."

"I think the term is petite, Ron" Hermione said with a smile.

Harry just started at his friends in shock, then had to sit down suddenly as the world spun around him.

Ron snorted, and tried to hide his grin. "I think he's got vertigo." he said in amusement. "How could you not have noticed when you walked across the room?"

"Oh, shush." Hermione told him, taking her seat next to Harry and putting her arm around him. "It's just a big change that's all."

"That'll be an understatement." a voice from the door said, and the three of them turned to see Remus walk in with Ron's mother. "He must've shot up eight inches in the space of an hour."

They both walked over the trio and Molly placed a pile of clothes on the bed next to where they were sitting. "You'll have to borrow some of Ron's clothes for the moment." she explained. "At least until we can get some shopping done."

Harry just shook his head in amazement. "How can this be possible?" he asked.

"None of us really know." Remus admitted as Ron's mother bustled around Harry, placing her hand against his forehead to check his temperature. "But as we have no record of this ever happening before, we can assume that this is a result of the Unforgivable you survived as a child."

"Hermione was telling me." Harry said with a frown. "But I have never had any problems with magic before. It hasn't taken me any longer than anyone else to master spells, and on some occasions I've been better and quicker at them than Hermione."

"That's true." Remus said. "But that may be because the magic you were controlling was already that of an adult. You may not have had the skills required to use them properly, but Voldemort is a powerful wizard and any dose of his magic would have been greater than that of a child. It has just taken this long for your magic to grow enough to become the more dominant."

Harry sighed. "So I should be stronger now than I was before?" he asked dubiously.

"Probably not straight away, if at all." Remus said. "Your body has been through a lot this past 24 hours, but I would suspect that you will certainly notice a dramatic change in your magic, especially in the way it behaves. I would be wary of any magic you perform until both you and your magic learn to work together again."

Harry sighed deeply. "Why can't anything about me be normal?" he asked, dropping his shoulders in defeat.

Ron laughed, and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder. "We honestly wouldn't have it any other way." he said.

"So what do I do now?" Harry said with a sigh.

"I'd suggest some sunshine and fresh air." Molly said. "Then a good meal and an early night."

"I'm not being confined to bed?" Harry asked a little warily, fully aware that bed rest was the most popular treatment prescribed by the school's matron.

"Poppy and I are going to trust you to tell us when you've had enough." Molly said with a smile. "But the sooner you're up and about and learning to walk again the better I'd say."

Harry looked down at his legs, then up at Ron. "Am I going to look as stupid as you did in our fourth year?" he asked with a smile.

"Even worse!" Ron said with a laugh, remembering how clumsy he had been after his first real growth spurt. "We're going to have to tie everything down so you don't knock into anything!"

Harry groaned slightly and looked down at his legs. "This is just so _stupid_!" he said, hitting his legs slightly.

"C'mon chum." Ron said sympathetically, picking up the pile of clothes he was lending Harry. "Let's get you dressed and downstairs."

The girls waited behind a hospital screen as Ron and Remus helped Harry dress into a pair of knee-length shorts and a t-shirt. One pair of transfigured sandals after that and Harry was ready to tackle walking across the ward.

He bit his lip slightly, having already struggled with balance as he had bent over to pull his shorts up, but was determined and with Remus and Ron on either side, started across the room on wobbly legs.

"This is so stupid." he repeated as he reached the door, stretching his shoulders and back slightly as they felt extremely stiff.

"If you make it outside with the others, then we'll try and arrange a shopping trip tomorrow." Molly said, trying to entice Harry to keep going.

"I really don't know if I want people to see me like this." Harry muttered, starting slowly down the corridor.

"But they won't recognise you." Hermione pointed out. "The last photo taken of you was when you were a midget with a scar. Now you're tall and everything has filled out nicely."

Harry had to chuckle despite his predicament at the disgusted look Ron had sent their bookish friend, and before he knew it he was able to walk unassisted, if a little slower than normal.

Stairs proved another source of humour for the group, as Harry had completely misjudged the height of the first step and nearly went tumbling down if it hadn't been for Remus grabbing his arm and shoulder. By the time he had reached the bottom of the numerous Hogwarts staircases, Harry had become an expert of the skill already learnt by most two years olds.

As they entered the courtyard which had evidently become their new outdoor haunt over the past couple of days, a shout went up and soon all of Harry's friends were admiring his new looks, if agreeing that the whole thing was slightly unusual.

Harry had to smile when he looked down at his girlfriend, who now just reached his shoulder.

"What do you think?" he asked, raising his arms and spinning in a small circle, almost making a pigs-ear of it by wobbling slightly and nearly falling over. "Still want me?"

Ginny laughed at him and reached forward, pulling his head down and kissing him on the side of his lips.

"Of course!" she said. "I now have two boyfriends in one. The tall, dark and handsome stranger that fortune-teller always told me I would have, and the boy-who-lived. What more could I ask for?"

"How about "just Harry"?"

Ginny pursed her lips slightly as if thinking about his question, then smiled and responded with a sincere "I think I now have the real Harry Potter. This look suits you, it fits you better than the short, scrawny thing we knew before."

Harry blushed slightly, and immediately regretted doing so when the twins laughed at him and jumped closer, both reaching up for his hair and taking advantage of his sudden gangliness to muss it up again.


	15. Diagon Alley

Chapter 15:

It took another couple of days before Harry felt confident enough with his new looks to join the others on a trip to Diagon Alley for supplies and new clothes.

The others had all received their Hogwarts letters by this time and after spending an afternoon talking to Hermione and Ron, Harry had agreed to go along with Moody's suggestion and take up the offer of training at Hogwarts and in return help the other students in extra Defence classes that would be open for anyone in fourth year and above.

Seeing Harry hadn't been allowed to attempt using his magic yet, Kingsley had authorised the use of Portkey to take the group to the Diagon Alley and had made Harry promise to be the one to carry it whilst they were there, just in case he was unable to protect himself if anything should happen.

So it was nearly a week after the Harry's birthday that the usual group of friends found themselves just outside the school gates, accompanied by Remus, Tonks and Molly Weasley.

Harry and Ginny took hold of the Portkey, this time a neck chain with a dragon's tooth hanging from it, as the others disapparated away, promising to meet them outside the twin's joke shop.

"This is so frustrating." Harry muttered, before starting the countdown.

Ginny shushed him and placed a hand against his face. "They're just trying to keep you safe." she said.

"I know!" Harry replied. "But it just seems so ironic that I'm supposed to be this oh-so-special-chosen-one and yet I can't even handle my own wand properly."

"It'll be fine." Ginny said. "Remus and Tonks are going to be here this weekend to test out your magic, and I'm sure it won't be long before it all clicks back into place."

Harry nodded with a sigh, but still couldn't shake the sense of impatience he felt. He had more important things that needed attention, and having to learn everything from scratch was just holding him up.

"Just relax." Ginny said, taking his empty hand in her own. "Enjoy today. For me?"

Harry smiled at her puppy-dog look and nodded, starting the countdown again as she stood on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.

Seconds later they were standing outside the bright shop-front of the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, being greeted enthusiastically by the twins as they showed off their latest array of inventions.

"And then we've got our restricted line." Fred said, pushing his way through a curtain at the back of the shop, leading Harry and his friends into a darker room at the back.

"Kingsley came up to us a couple of weeks ago, asking if our inventiveness could be used to expand the designs that we started to create for the ministry last year." George went on to explain.

"We haven't really got much so far." Fred said. "Though we aren't short of ideas …"

"… Locator Beetles that will help find you if you go missing, Safety Pins that can stick to your clothes and are one-use portkeys to get you to safety if you are in danger, Sneaky Sensors that will roam around the house and wake you up if someone strange enters your house at night …"

"We're even trying to work out how to create a cheaper version of an invisibility cloak, one that uses spells rather than Demiguise hair."

"And we owe Hermione a big thank you for her idea on Communication Coins, we've mastered the art of those and Kingsley has already put in a large order for them. They're less obvious than using a Patronus to pass on messages, and more reliable."

Hermione blushed slightly that her idea was being promoted within the ministry.

"You think we can get our hands on some of these for the DA?" Harry asked, examining one of the Safety Pins. "We'll pay of course."

"No, you won't." Fred told him.

"We've already got some packs ready for the DA." George continued. "Well, enough for those that were in the original DA, as I've heard its likely to get bigger this year."

"You helped us get this place up and running." Fred said with a smile. "We can't charge you. Besides, you're family."

"You've always made me pay!" Ron spluttered, but the twins ignored him.

"That and we were hoping to crash in on the training sessions every now and then." George said. "Who knows what we might learn…"

"… or, even better, what ideas we may come up with!"

Harry nodded. "If I hear of anything that can be used in your shop then I promise you have first rights to them." he said, crossing his heart again. "And thanks." he added.

"No problems." Fred said, as they made their way back into the main shop area where Molly, Remus and Tonks were waiting. "But don't you think you ought to start your shopping now before it gets too busy? I don't know how many people could fail to notice you in that gettup"

Harry looked down and smiled ruefully at the bright orange Cannon's t-shirt that Ron had leant him that morning.

"Good point." he said, and pulled his baseball cap out of his pocket to hide his scar. "Let's go girls."

Ginny and Hermione smiled wickedly at each other and each took one of Harry's arms, leading him through the couple of customers and out the front door.

"You think he knows what he's letting himself into?" Fred asked with mock concern, going to the main window with Ron and Remus as the other Molly and Tonks followed the trio out.

The men watched as the group crossed the street and walked straight into Madam Malkin's clothes shop.

"I think he does," Ron said. "All the girls have been teasing him about it for the past couple of days."

"It's all a Gryffindor front." Remus said. "You know Harry, he knows it's inevitable so he'll face it, chin high and walking proud."

"A true Gryffindor." George agreed solemnly, then the two twins fell onto each other in mock tears. "He'll never be the same again!" they wailed, sending Ron and Remus into fits of laughter.

"Come on, Ron." Remus said, after the twins histrionics had ceased. "We'll go collect the rest of the stuff on the list and meet them later in the Leaky Cauldron for lunch. I don't think we're going to see any of them for quite some time!"

Remus' predictions were right, and the two of them had been sitting in the Leaky Cauldron for over an hour after visiting the magical supply shops before the fashion party joined them.

They hardly recognised the man before them that came in the with the women they knew.

"Harry?" Ron asked, unsure of his friend as he stood before him.

Harry shrugged slightly, rolling his eyes at the smug looks the women around him gave each other before taking their places at the table.

He was no longer wearing his cap, instead his hair had been styled in such a way that it looked as if he'd just stepped off a vigorous broom ride, though the fringe was still falling across his forehead slightly, covering his scar. He was wearing a plain shirt open at the collar that fitted well, as opposed to the baggy seconds he had been forced to wear most his life, and his now-long legs were covered in a smart pair of jeans, with a decent pair of trainers replacing the transfigured sandals he had been wearing.

Harry flopped onto the bench-seat next to Remus and buried his head into his father's friend's shoulder.

"Don't _ever_ put me through that again." he muttered.

Remus smiled, then sniffed slightly. "What's that smell?" he asked.

Harry groaned and Tonks grinned. "Madam Malkin has extended the upstairs to include more modern tastes." she explained. "Including the muggle styles that the kids of today enjoy. She also had a small perfume counter, trialling it over the summer whilst people are still venturing out into public. She's trying to maximise her profit margin whilst times are bad."

"What's that got to do with Harry smelling like a peach?" Ron asked, wrinkling his nose as he caught a whiff.

"They used it as punishment." Harry said, not removing his head from Remus' robes.

Hermione laughed. "It wasn't that bad, Harry." She said. "You were enjoying it to start with."

Harry raised his head and glared at her, causing everyone around the table to laugh.

"No." he contradicted her. "I was trying to make it seem like I was enjoying it so that we could get it over with quicker." his shoulders dropped and he hunched himself over slightly.

"After an hour he made a bid for freedom." Tonks said with a smile, her hair currently pitch black with a couple of bright purple tips. "We caught him and stuck his feet to the measuring stand. Whenever he tried to escape again, Ginny hit him with a puff of one of the perfume testers. The shop smelt really nice when we had finished."

Harry suddenly jumped up in his chair as if he had just been hit by an electric shock.

"I thought mum told you not to slouch!" Ginny said from where she was sat next to him. She had just dug her fingers into his sides to make him jump, after joyfully finding earlier that his sudden growth had made Harry's skin extra sensitive to tickling. "Enjoy being tall!"

Harry rolled his eyes again but made an effort to sit straighter, a strange look of defeat on his face.

Ginny smiled at Ron. "So, Ron." she started, picking up a menu and opening it. "When do we get a chance to take you shopping?" she asked innocently.

Ron's eyes opened wide and he shook his head. "Never." he replied in a low and threatening voice.

"I think that sounds like a challenge, Ronald." Hermione said with a bright smile, and she and Ginny grinned at each other.

Even Harry had to smile. "Trust me, Ron." he said. "When they look like that, you might as well give up. There is no place far enough away, and no repelling charm strong enough to protect you from them and their perfume testers!"

The group enjoyed a quiet lunch in the Leaky Cauldron, easily outnumbering the rest of the customers in the pub. Even as lunch was finished and the group moved back into Diagon Alley to finish shopping for their supplies on this list, it was evident that the once-busy shopping place for wizard's everywhere was badly effected by the threat of Voldemort.

"Maybe you ought to organise regular visits." Ron said as they walked passed the empty quidditch store. "Bring the crowds back."

"I don't think it would work." Harry said, the absence of people not really bothering him as he placed his arm happily around his girlfriend's shoulders. "I haven't been recognised once since coming here."

"Oh I don't know," Tonks said. "Madam Malkin recognised you."

Harry winced. "You had me standing in front of her dressed in nothing except my boxers." he said. "There wasn't really much to hide behind."

Tonks smirked at Remus' sympathetic look.

"What have we got left to buy?" Molly asked, trying to look over the handful of Hogwarts letter she had in her hand whilst holding onto several bags of shopping.

"I need to get some owl treats for Hedwig." Harry said but Ron shook his head.

"I picked up some extra when I went in for Pig." he said. "you can have those if you want."

"So it's just Flourish and Blotts then." Hermione said, her eyes as bright with anticipation at the prospect of visiting the book store as when they had dragged Harry off to Madam Malkin's.

A scream from behind them stopped Ron's classic reply to her words, and the group spun around, wands drawn to face whatever danger there could be.

All they could see, however, was a group of teenage girls - Hufflepuffs, Harry thought - that were pointing at them, causing the few others in the area to look their way as well.

"It's HARRY POTTER!"

The wands were lowered, but not put away as the crowd began to come closer, trying to identify the short boy they had seen in the Prophet barely a week ago.

"It can't be him…"

"He's so tall…"

"… handsome…"

"… he must be an impostor …"

Hermione's smiled dropped from her face and Tonks hit Harry sharply over the back of his head.

"What was that for?" Harry asked indignantly.

"Speaking too soon." she replied, her eyes scanning the crowd as it began to grow around them.

Within seconds the number of people in Diagon Alley had seemed to treble, and the group were trying to assure the crowd that it was indeed Harry Potter, and not some dark fraud that looked like him.

Harry got increasingly frustrated at the rudeness of some of the people around him until a sharp voice and a shower of sparks quietened the crowd.

Kingsley strode forward, looking impressive and intimidating in his Auror robes, two other Aurors flanking his sides.

"What is the problem here?" he asked, his eyes meeting those of Tonks.

"That boy is an impostor!" a voice from the crowd shouted, and immediately the cacophony of noise started again.

"I said QUIET!" Kingsley shouted again, once more spreading sparks from his wand.

"Harry, do you care to explain?" he offered when the noise had died.

Harry stepped forward from his protective circle of friends and faced the crowd in front of him.

"I _am_ Harry Potter." he assured the crowd, and even though he regretted the action he pulled back his fringe to show off his scar.

"But you don't look like him," a voice said, and Harry turned to see a couple of younger Hogwarts students staring at him. "We know Harry Potter, we go to school with him."

Harry drew in a deep breath. "I assure you I am." he said. "I've been training hard over the summer …" he hesitated and glanced at Kingsley, who inclined his head ever so slightly to encourage him. "… in order to face the war that is coming."

The silence that the possessed the crowd was now of a different sort, and they waited with baited breath for Harry to talk again.

In the slight moment that Harry was trying to get his thought's together, another voice from the crowd interrupted them. "So you _are_ the Chosen One!"

Harry heard a groan from his friends behind him as they recognised Rita Skeeter, the unsavoury reporter from the Prophet as she stepped forward from the crowd, her Quick-Quotes quill already scribbling on a piece of parchment.

"I know nothing about being a Chosen One, Saviour or Sole Protector of the Wizarding world." Harry replied, surprising himself at how easily the words seemed to flow from his mouth. "All I know is that Voldemort …" he paused for the usual reaction from the crowd. "… has an unhealthy interest in ending my life, probably because I am the only one to have come close to killing him. But I was just a baby back then, and I'm nothing special now. But even though I'm not what you think I am, I refuse to hide away and pretend that this isn't going to get harder before it gets better. I'm not going to watch people get hurt without trying to help them. And I think it would pay for you all to remember that."

"Would you like to elaborate on that last comment, Harry?" Rita asked, her eyes sparkling with eagerness at the impromptu interview she was having with one of the most famous wizards alive.

Harry thought a moment before answering. "You can't rely on the ministry at a time like this." he held up his hand before his comment could be taken the wrong way, and tried to ignore the look of growing alarm on Kingsley's face. "I'm not saying what they are doing is wrong." he assured them. "But they are busy trying to chase down and stop the worst threat any of us have ever known. Because of this, you can't rely on them being there day and night to protect you or your families from random Death Eater attacks. It could be several minutes before they arrive to help, and so you need to learn to defend yourself and your families. If I have learnt one thing over the years that is that knowing one simple spell can be the difference between surviving and dying, and learning two spells increase that chance even more.

"I know that Hogwarts this year is planning on running additional defence classes for the upper years, in an attempt to prepare students for what they might face when they leave school. I am also in the belief that the Auror team are trying to organise some sort of supplement to the Prophet in order to provide basic spells and charms you can use to protect yourselves and your family." he glanced at Kingsley, who was looking calmer and didn't rush in to contradict Harry in any way. "I suggest you use those supplements, and practise those charms. They may help."

They crowd started talking amongst themselves at Harry's words. Harry bit the inside of his lip slightly, hoping that his words wouldn't be read as standing for or against the ministry, but rather open people's eyes to the opportunity of learning how to protect themselves, and in turn hopefully diminish the level of fear people were feeling.

"Auror Kingsley, when can we expect to see these supplements?"

"I am sure the Ministry is working on these supplement pages at this very moment." he said, stepping forward to join Harry. "As Harry said, they may indeed help in defending your family and friends, though there can never be a guarantee to your safety. I am sure that if you read these supplements when they are printed, then you will at least feel more safe and secure when at home, and maybe even more confident at leaving the house. It is important not to become over confident and reckless though, these are dangerous wizards we are dealing with."

"And who will be holding these extra classes at Hogwarts? Are there any chances that these can be run outside the school for parents of the students?"

Harry held his breath and looked into Kingsley's eyes as the Auror turned to face him.

"I will be organising these classes." Harry said, trying hard not to let his nerves show. He didn't really want his teaching to be general knowledge quite this early, and was sure Moody and McGonagall would agree with him. "With the assistance of the Auror team and teachers at the school of course. They aren't a necessary part of the curriculum, rather we will be running them outside of class time, much like a duelling club or Quidditch practise. It would be completely voluntary, but in times like this I think we would all agree they are necessary."

Kingsley flashed him a quick smile and turned back to the crowd. "Now, if that is all, I'm sure Harry and his friends would like to continue to shop for their school supplies. I can assure you there will be a follow up report to all we have told you today in the Prophet within the week, and I'll chase up the Ministry to speed up the production of these supplement pages to be printed as soon as I can. Now, if there are no further questions …"

"What happened to you over the summer, Harry?" Rita asked, wriggling her eyebrows suggestively at Harry's new looks.

Harry mentally groaned, but forced a smile onto his face, once again hoping his father's charms would work for him.

"I grew up." he said. "You couldn't expect me to be a scrawny teenager, barely the height of a hundred-and-eight-year old woman all my life now, could you?"

He smirked inwardly at the confused look on Rita's face but didn't elaborate further as he turned and, with his friends, walked away from the crowd, silently deciding that a visit to the book shop could wait for another day.


	16. Another Surprise

Hi folks, I have been refraining from writing any author notes as I am a firm believer in reading stories without too many interuptions.

I do have to send a big thank you to those that are enjoying the story so far, especially Jinawee - I had almost forgotten how great it was to get such enthusiastic reviews! It really gets the plot bunnies going and the desire to post another chapter increases ten-fold!

Because of this, I'm asking other readers to drop me a line if possible. I'm not finding this story as easy to write as Marcello, probably because it is about four years on and I'm out of practise, and I would love to know what you all think, soplease R & R! Any support would be greatly received and will obviously get me writing that bit faster!

I might be going back to amend a few chapters (already started wtih 15, hence it got posted twice. Apologies about that). I havemade a couple of school boy errors and may needto tweak things here and there as the story progresses. If you see any glaringly obvious plot faults then do let me know. Sometimes the story is lost for the amount of words - or something like that!

Anyway, back to the story. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 16:

The group were still laughing to themselves as Harry's portkey brought them back to a point just outside the main gates of Hogwarts.

"I just can't believe that Kingsley just let you go on about something the Ministry probably hasn't even thought about yet." Ginny said as they walked up the path to the gates.

"It just seemed like a good idea at the time," Harry said. "The securityadvice that they printed last year was pointless and unhelpful. I didn't even know what inferi were, let alone how to deal with them!"

"But saying it in front of the public and press was a sure way of making sure that the Ministry can't back out of the idea and pass it off saying it's the stupid idea of a school boy." Tonks said. "If they don't print any supplements now, they're the ones that are going to look stupid."

"Kingsley was playing withsimilar ideashimself." Remus admitted, pushing open one of the gates and holding it for the others to walk through. "He knows the only way to make people less fearful is through education. He just didn't know how to address the issue with Scrimgeour."

"Guess Harry fixed that problem for him then." Ron said, walking though the gate.

Harry waited a moment for Ginny to follow her brother then walked through the gate as well, a strange shudder running down his spine as he passed through the shadows of the winged boars that stood high on the gate posts.

He stopped and looked behind him, thinking for a moment that he had sensed someone watching him, but no matter how hard he scanned the bushed on the other side of the path he couldn't see any movement that indicated someone was hiding there.

"Everything okay, Harry?" Remus asked, stepping forward from where he was holding the gate open to join Harry's search.

"I think so." Harry said. "I just had this weird sensation …" he stepped forward, wand in his hand to look around the corner of the wall. As he passed through the gate again he once again felt the strange shiver between his shoulder blades and spun, wand raised high, to find himself pointing it at his friends.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, her own wand in her hand as a precaution, a look of confusion on her face.

"You didn't feel that?" Harry asked, turning around again to scan the bushes.

"Feel what?" Tonks asked, coming up to stand next to him and Remus.

A sudden thought came to Harry and he looked up at the two stone statues that looked down on them. He took one step forward until he was standing directly between them, and was less surprised this time to feel the shiver once more.

"Harry, what you doing?" Ginny asked.

"There's something here." Harry said, searching the ground around his feet. "Every time I pass this spot I get this strange feeling that… I can't really explain it, but _something _is here."

Remus and Tonks joined his search at pushing aside the dust on the path and examining the walls next to the gate-hinges.

"Does it feel physical, or just a sensation?" Molly Weasley asked, standing guard over all their shopping bags.

"Just a sensation, I guess." Harry said after a little thought.

"Well that implies something magical." Tonks said, and raised her wand to cast a revealing spell.

Remus interrupted her by pushing her wand down, a strange look on his face as he gazed at Harry. "The only magic that will be there is the line of wards that guard that school grounds."

Harry raised his eyebrows in realisation of the obvious. Every student knew that there were layers upon layers of wards to protect the castle, hence it was deemed as the safest place in the wizarding world.

"So why can I feel it and you guys can't?" Harry asked, voicing the question they were all thinking.

They all looked to Hermione and Remus for the answer. Hermione, the most intelligent witch in the school, just shrugged her shoulders with a look of defeat, indication this was something she had never come across.

Remus on the other hand, bent down and retrieved three stones from the side of the path. He turned around and cast a spell with his wand, muttering the incantation under his breath so that no one else could hear what he was doing, then turned and placed the three stones in a line on the path, several feet away from the wards.

"Which one is charmed?" he asked Harry.

"How am I supposed to know?" Harry replied incredulously.

"Just close your eyes and pass your hand over them." Remus suggested.

Harry just shook his head, but Remus had his "professor" face on so he dropped to one knee and closed his eyes, reaching his hand out to pass over the stones.

Almost immediately his eyes popped open, a smaller yet similar sensation running through the palm of his hand as he passed over the first stone. He quickly passed his hand over the other two, but with no result.

"The first one." he said and Remus knocked the stone with his foot, revealing a rune mark on the bottom of the stone Harry had selected.

"It seems your magic is coming into it's own." Remus said. "It's not unheard of for wizards to be sensitive to magic around them, particularly wards or charmed objects."

"I've never come across anything like that." Hermione said.

"Most subject books are kept in the restricted section." Remus told her, bending to pick up a couple of shopping bags. "The ability usually only develops in wizards too old to still be at Hogwarts, and even then, usually with wizards that are quite powerful. Because of that it was taken out of the curriculum some years ago, the idea being that if there were to be a witch or wizard that has this ability, then they'd be able to do their own research on the matter."

"So this is something else I'm not supposed to be able to do." Harry said, stomping angrily on ahead of the group as they headed up to the main building.

"Oh, I doubt that." Molly Weasley called after him. "If anything, I'd say it was because of your recent magical development that you're able to do it now. Maybe it's just because your magic is extra sensitive at the moment? It might disappear in time. If it doesn't, then it's probably something that would've have come to you had your magic not been hindered. Do you know if Harry's parents had the ability?" she asked Remus.

Harry turned around slightly to watch Remus think a little before answering. "James was Gryffindor to the core, he always ran into a situation without thinking or planning. I'm guessing that even if he did have the ability then he never realised it or used it for his own advantage. But Lily on the other hand … it actually explains a lot."

"What does it explain?" Ginny asked, watching Harry's eyes light up in curiosity.

"It explains why Sirius and James were never able to prank her. The number of times they tried to catch her out, charming pots in her kitchen to throw ingredients at her, or chairs to move whenever she tried to sit on them. I'm guessing she must have been able to sense the magic in some way. Used to frustrate them no end, they couldn't work out how she did it."

Harry smiled a little, losing himself to his imagination as he thought about his parents and what they would've been like. "So you think I must've got this from my parents? And it isn't anything special?"

Remus shook his head. "It's nothing special," he repeated. "useful maybe, but definitely not unheard of. Most wizards can feel the magic in an oncoming curse. It just takes a higher sensitivity to be able to sense magic that isn't so focused, like wards or charms."

"I can get into the restricted section and look up some books for you if you like, Harry." Hermione said eagerly.

"I don't think they'll be overly useful." Remus said. "This isn't something you can be taught, more a case of becoming more aware of what's around you, learning for yourself which magics you can sense, and those you can't."

"I think Dumbledore had the same." Harry said, remembering when his mentor had reached out for the invisible chain that held the boat in the Horcrux cave, and also his correct identification of Professor Slughorn the day they had gone to hire him as potions professor.

"Explains why he used to catch people in the corridors so much." Ron said with a laugh. "He was probably extra sensitive to prank-related charms."

"What are your plans for the afternoon?"Tonks asked as they neared the castle.

"I'd love to be able to start doing magic again." Harry said, casting a hopeful glance at Remus. "I've been of age nearly a week now, and only been able to do magic for one day!"

"I don't see any reason why we couldn't try a few simple spells." Remus said. "Why don't we put all this stuff away and we'll meet you in the courtyard in about an hour?"

As good as their word, Remus and Tonks met up with Harry in the courtyard to test his magic whilst the others entertained themselves inside. Even though the sky was clouded over, rain seemed a long way off and so they practised throughout the afternoon, starting with smaller spells and leading up to mock-duels where Harry was able to fully test out his new magic.

By the end of several hours of practise, Harry was happily twirling his wand between his fingers, a grin across his face as he watched Remus cast "finite incantatem" on Tonks who was sporting an impressive pair of rabbit ears.

"Where did you learn that one?" Remus asked, trying to hold back his laughter.

"We found a book on "curses for youngsters" in the library earlier this holiday." Harry explained, "It was full of simple transfiguration spells like that."

"And Hermione let you read it?" Tonks asked. "I thought she was dedicated to finding spells that would help you fight big, bad, nasty wizards, not ten year olds!"

"Actually, it was Ron she permitted to read the book." Harry said, "after he argued that some of the spells in it may catch the Death Eaters off guard. I'm pretty sure it really had something to do with the moving pictures making it easier for him to read."

"Well, it is certainly an unorthodox way of duelling." Remus said with a laugh. "But a wise wizard said earlier this day that sometimes the simplest of spells are the most effective when it comes to survival."

"Wise wizard?" Harry asked, his eyebrows arched in mock consideration. "I think I like the sound of that!"

"Well, don't let it go to your head, you have a lot to learn yet." Remus said, placing a fatherly hand on his shoulder. "But that's enough for today, I suggest we head in and eat before it rains. I think we can safely say that there isn't much wrong with your magic."

"If anything, it seems to be easier." Harry agreed as they headed indoors. "It feels more natural somehow."

"That can never be a bad thing." Tonks said. "Now you can use the residual power Old Mouldy left in you to compliment your own magic, and not the other way around."

"I think you've been hanging around the twins too much." Harry said, referring to their use of Voldemort's nickname.

Tonks just laughed and turned her hair a Weasley red as they walked to the great hall to join the others for dinner.


	17. The Plan

Hi folks, thanks for the reviews that have come in, I appreciate any feedback about the fics I write (including any glaringly obvious mistakes). I think I've read so many good fics on this site that I'm confusing myself with what is real JK and us aspiring authors! 

I apologise about the sporadic updates as well, but am currently job hunting. I hope to fall into a more regular routine at some point though. Until then, keep reading, and don't forget to review!

Kit. xx

Chapter 17:

Dinner that night was an uneventful affair with the absence of the twins who were staying late at the shop to catch up with their design ideas, but it ran late into the evening as Harry sat with McGonagall, Moody and Remus to discuss his plans for the following term. 

"We understand that you don't want to tell us about what Albus wanted you to for him, but you must understand that we may be able to help you. Merlin knows we have enough experience between us that you could use and learn from." McGonagall was saying. 

Harry was a little shocked to hear the new headmistress call Dumbledore by his first name in front of him, but then realised that all the Order had probably come to see him more of a young man than a student, one who deserved respect as an equal rather than an apprentice. 

"It's not that I don't want to tell you." Harry explained slowly. "It's more a case that I can't. At least not until I've pursued a few more leads. The fewer people who know what I'm doing with Hermione and Ron, the less chance that Voldemort will get wind of it. I will promise to let you know when I can, and ask for help if ever I need it."

"That would be a rare occasion." McGonagall said with a soft smile.

"You forget that I have asked for it for it in the past and got scoffed at." Harry said, referring back to a time when he had tried telling her about the threat to the philosopher's stone. 

His teacher had the grace to blush slightly. 

"But it isn't your normal way of proceeding with things." Moody pointed out. 

Harry nodded. "That's all changed, I promise you." he said. "If you haven't noticed, I have grown a lot since Professor Dumbledore died. My priorities have changed. And, even though I can't tell you what he left for me to do, I would still appreciate learning from you." 

The others around the table nodded. 

"We have set aside a large classroom near the DADA classroom that will suit for spell training." Remus said. "Starting from Monday, you'll have one of us in there with you each day, for as long or as little as you like. We'll go over old spells, teach you new ones, or even just be there for advice if you need it."

"I'm assuming that you can use the room you used previously for your Defence classes?" McGonagall asked, and when Harry nodded she went on. "DADA will be held by Remus again this year, with an Auror covering the times when he can't. It would be good to have one of them participating in these extra lessons with you, just to quell any dissatisfaction from the Ministry or the Board of Governors about having such a young tutor. I'll also ask that you let one of us know if you are leaving school grounds, so that we can cover these lessons for you if needs be."

Harry nodded again. "I don't see anything that'll keep us away for great lengths of time." he said. "But I promise that I'll let you know, if only to excuse Hermione and Ron from their lessons."

"Do you have any idea when you're going to start your … quest?" McGonagall asked, unsure how else to describe Harry's disappearances. 

Harry thought a few moments. "I'd first like to go over what Hermione, Ron and I learnt from the library this summer." he said. "Whereas they have had the practise, I haven't, and it wouldn't hurt to have someone else cast a more experienced eye over our spell work. After that I would like to go Grimmauld place and look over the library. I noticed a large collection of books on dark magic there which may hold some valuable information for me."

"You don't think Dumbledore might have already gone through those books and told you if he had found something?" Moody asked. 

Harry thought a moment, then shook his head. "He never spent much time there if he could help it." he said. "He was worried about Voldemort entering my mind so much in my fifth year that he didn't hang around much after meetings, and last year he was off chasing … other leads."

"This is sounding more and more like a treasure hunt." Moody said, his magical eye spinning excitedly but his own eye looking more concerned. 

"It is something like that." Harry admitted, then stood up, meaning to escape before he let any more information slip. "I'm going to catch up with the others if that's okay?"

"No problem, Harry." Remus said with a smile. 

Harry started to walk away, then turned back momentarily to ask a final question. "Do you think Ginny could sit in on these lessons for the rest of the summer? I know she feels left out, but I'm also concerned that she'll be a prime target because of me. I think I'd be more at peace if I knew she could defend herself well."

McGonagall nodded. "The magic here at Hogwarts will hide her magical signature from the Ministry." she said. "There is no reason why she couldn't practise with the rest of you. But she is to return to normal school rules when we reopen in a month."

Harry nodded gratefully and turned around again, heading up the numerous sets of stairs to the Gryffindor common room. 

"So, how did it go?" Hermione asked as Harry climbed through the portrait of the fat lady and joined the others in the comfortable common room. 

"Okay," he said. "I'll have my own private practise room next to the Defence class, and it seems that McGonagall and the others will be there as little or as much as I need them to be. It gives us the chance to use the space by ourselves when you aren't in lessons. I know that they didn't want you to miss normal classes, but there is no reason why I can't bring you up to speed outside of the DA meetings."

"I'm so annoyed that we are still being forced to do coursework and normal lessons when you are going off learning cool stuff." Ron said moodily, flicking the corner of one of the cushions on the sofa next to him. "I mean, we're going to be going off doing facing the same dangers as you, and yet we aren't going to be learning the same things? It just seems stupid if you asked me, their priorities are all wrong!"

"Ron! How can you think that?" Hermione asked incredulously. "Once all this is over, you're going to be thankful that they forced you into a proper education. No one would employ someone with no qualifications …"

"Once all this is over, our names will plastered all over the papers! There won't be a wizard who won't know who we are. Everyone will be offering us jobs …"

"So you're in it for the fame?" Harry asked quietly, bringing an abrupt stop to their argument. 

Ron stared in shock at his friend, and shook his head fiercely. It had been a regular occurrence in the past that Ron had felt second best to Harry. Being the last of six brothers meant he had a lot to live up to, and it was often difficult for Ron to see that he was his own person. 

"I didn't mean it like that, Harry." he said. "It just came out, I …"

Harry nodded, but didn't change his cold expression. "You both promised me that you would be there for me this year." he said. "But I for one am not going to allow you both to throw your careers away because of this. Even though it was Moody that said you couldn't sit in on these lessons, I agree with him. I want you both to have the chance to be top of the class, Quidditch Captain and prefects. Just because my life is so full of crap doesn't mean you two can't enjoy your final year as much as you can."

He held up his hand when Ron leaned forward and tried to interrupt again.

"I know you will both be there when I need you." Harry shook his head a little and laughed sombrely. "And I _am_ going to need you. But I can't let you miss out on what should be the best time of your lives. As it is, I've asked McGonagall and the others if you can sit on these lessons until the end of summer to give you all a bit of a head start." he looked at Ginny who was sat next to him on his sofa. "All of you." he stressed. "And they said they couldn't see any problem with it. Apparently the wards around Hogwarts cover up all evidence of underage magic during the holidays."

Ginny grinned and threw herself forward to hug him. Then she sat back and slapped him on the shoulder. "That's for not telling me before!" she said. 

"I didn't know before!" Harry insisted with a laugh, then dropped his smile as he looked back at his two best friends. 

"We're sorry, Harry." Ron said. "I really didn't mean what I said."

Harry shook his head with a smile. "You're probably right." he said. "No doubt all those involved with the Order will have hero status by the end of this war, providing we survive it of course. But is that really a reason to chance it? Or what if there are so many hero's you'll need that extra edge to get the job you want?"

Ron seemed to think a bit as Harry went on.

"And it's not like I'm going to be learning anything that much different from you. To start with all I'm going to be doing is going over the stuff I wasn't able to practise over the summer. After that, whatever I learn I will have to teach you. How else am I going to be able to practise?"

Hermione smiled a little, and placed a hand on Ron's forearm. "I think that sounds good." she said, and with a smirk that Harry would've classes as more Slytherin than Gryffindor, said "Of course, I'm going to have to fit it with the revision planner I've started for us. What with the extra prefect patrols we'll have to do this year, the DA meetings and all the coursework involved in NEWTs, it's going to be tough to squeeze in extra training sessions with Harry."

Ron groaned, half sensing Hermione was winding him up. "You can't make me think about that!" he said. "We still have a whole month of holiday left!"

"But classes start tomorrow." Harry said, standing up and pulling Ginny to her feet. "I want the four of us to find this new classroom and make it suitable for our needs. Then I want to go over the spells we learnt over the summer, Ginny will need to learn them and I need to practise them if I'm going to stand any chance of not being shown up on Monday."

"I don't believe this." Ron said, throwing his hands up in defeat as Hermione also stood up and headed for the dormitory stairs. "Harry Potter is actually sending us to bed early, and it's not even a school night!"

Harry laughed. "It's only for tonight." he said. "It's been a long day, and I'm itching to start training. I think it's going to be fun!"

"Last one to bed is the first to play "victim" in curse practise tomorrow!" Ginny said, snatching a quick kiss off Harry's cheek before grabbing Hermione's hand and running up the stairs to the girls dormitory. 

Harry looked over at Ron who was still sat on the sofa, his hands calmly resting on his knees as he returned the gaze with one eyebrow raised at the girls antics. 

With brief hesitation both boys suddenly shouted and sprinted for the stairs, leaping up them two at a time and pulling on each other's shirts in an attempt to reach the boy's sleeping quarters first.

Full of insults they reached the top of the stairs and charged the door, and laughed as they both bounced off it as it failed to open, bruising their shoulders in the process. Harry, being nearest the handle, twisted it and they pushed forward again, their broad shoulders jamming slightly as they forced their way through, ending up on their backs on the floor. 

"Is everything okay up there?" they heard Hermione's voice carry up the stairs. 

If possible, the boys started laughing even more, and Ron picked up a stray trainer and started hitting Harry on the shoulder as the boy-who-lived attempted to defend himself. 

Within moments, the boys were rolling around in a classic rough and tumble game, jamming elbows into each other's ribs and holding each other round the neck as they fought.

It wasn't until Harry rolled Ron's back into the leg of one of the four-poster beds and red-head had let out a painful yelp that they stopped, sitting up breathlessly, but both grinning widely. 

"Do we get to join in?" A voice asked innocently for the door. 

Harry and Ron looked up to see Ginny and Hermione standing there. They had barely started getting ready for bed when they had come up to investigate the noise. 

Ron glanced over at Harry, and with another nod grabbed the pillow from the bed he was leaning against and threw it at the door, sending the girls laughing into the room for round two of the game. Each one relishing the insignificance of the fun they were experiencing, and not having to think about the fierce reality that would soon rule their lives. 


	18. A Visit to Grimmauld Place

Chapter 18:

The next couple of weeks sped by with the intense training the four friends were getting from Harry's dedicated trainers. Occasionally they would be visited by one of their schools friends, such as Neville or Luna, and they would spend the day out in the school grounds, or visiting Hogsmead, making the most of the fine summer they were experiencing.

It came to a point where Harry began to feel the necessity to start the hunt in earnest and he arranged with Hermione and Ron to apparate to Sirius' old home the weekend before the rest of the students arrived for the new school year.

"Are you ever going to tell me what it is you're actually doing?" Ginny asked Harry as they walked down to breakfast that day.

Harry winced, knowing that Ginny would like nothing more than to be able to understand what it was that he had to do and be able to help. But he still felt the need to protect her while he still could. He knew that the knowledge of what her experiences actually were with Riddle's diary in her first year would bring back emotions he felt she didn't need to relive.

But he also knew that he couldn't keep it from her forever and turned in the hallway, taking her by the shoulders and staring down into her eyes.

"I can't tell you, Ginny." he said, but held her firm when she rolled her eyes and tried to break away. "But I promise you that, when I have to tell the rest of the Order, you will be in that meeting as well. No matter what your mother says."

She looked up at him and his heart skipped a beat to see the look in her deep, brown eyes.

"You promise?" she said.

Harry nodded. "I don't want to hurt you, Ginny. But I can't tell you in case it makes you a target."

"Haven't we already been through this?" she asked impatiently.

"I haven't told any of the Order for the same reason." Harry said. "And Dumbledore did the same. It really isn't something any of you need to know right now. I only told Ron and Hermione because it was killing me not to. I needed someone to confide in else I would've gone crazy."

"And you couldn't talk to me?"

"Don't make this difficult, Ginny." Harry said wearily. "You're my escape from all this. You're the one that is reminding me that there is something good to fight for. Isn't that what you said when I met you this summer? That we're supposed to enjoy the moments that we do have together?"

Ginny nodded, and Harry was shocked to see her eyes glistening.

"I just want to help." she said.

Harry smiled at her, and pulled her into his arms. "Believe me, you are." he said and kissed the top of her head, still amazed at the growth spurt that allowed him to do so. "You're helping big time."

Ginny pulled back from him and smiled up, quickly returning the kiss before taking his hand and walking the rest of the way down the stairs and into the great hall.

The usual four house tables had disappeared over the summer, leaving just the head table to sit around for mealtimes. For some reason the hall didn't seem large and empty though, and Harry had often wondered the magic behind that.

Since his discovery of his sensitivity to magical charms, Harry had often felt the presence of some ward or other magical object and he supposed that was to expected in a magical castle. Just sitting peacefully in the hall with his eyes closed and mind clear caused his entire body to tingle with the effects of the magic there. He wasn't able to identify exact spells that caused these reactions, but it was sometimes enough to just be able to sense it.

He had caused great excitement the previous week when he had discovered an abandoned passageway by sensing the charm that made the door to appear in the wall behind a portrait of a unicorn standing in a forest. When he had showed the others they had spent the afternoon trying to find the password to get in, and it was eventually Ginny who simply asked the unicorn politely for entrance who got the door to appear.

They found that the corridor led from the bottom of the Gryffindor staircase up to the corridor just past the hospital wing, and all agreed it would probably be useful over the following year, knowing Harry's tradition of ending up in under the matron's care at least once a year.

Harry and Ginny made their way across the hall and took their seats next to Hermione and Ron, who were going over some of the notes Hermione had taken from the books they had researched over the summer.

"You all set for today?" Hermione asked as they started helping themselves to some breakfast.

"Think so." Harry said. "Ron and I packed the bag last night. It should have everything we need in it."

"You off today then?" Remus asked from where he sat opposite them.

"Just to Grimmauld Place." Harry said. "Like I said, there might be something useful in the library there."

"Just be careful." Mrs Weasley said, clearly unhappy about their leaving, but knowing she wouldn't be able to stop them. "Who knows what might have moved in since we've been gone?"

"We did leave in a bit of a rush." Remus admitted, casting his mind back to the attack on Hogwarts a couple of months before. "And I doubt Kreacher would've done much to help clean up."

"Don't be so mean on the creature." Mrs Weasley warned the teenagers. "He might not be the most savoury of house elves, but that comes from the people he was brought up to serve. His family were probably in the Black home for centuries and I doubt he knows any different."

"But I don't think he's going to listen to us if we try and educate him." Ron said, seeing a familiar spark of a challenge appearing in Hermione's eyes.

"But we could try." Hermione said eagerly.

"He's just going to call you names under his breath and talk about you as if you weren't there." Ron told her. "Why bother trying?"

Hermione was about to open her mouth when Harry interrupted. "I honestly don't think we're going to have time to hunt Kreacher out and start a teaching him a new way of life." he said. "But I do think _if_ we see Kreacher, we won't insult him, send him away or get annoyed with him. Maybe that will be enough to start making him trust us, and we can spend more time on it later?"

Hermione nodded and Ron looked agreeable to Harry's suggestion until she turned away, and then he sent Harry a look of disbelief that he was even contemplating talking to the deranged house elf. Harry just shrugged, happy that he had altered the course of another dispute between his two friends.

"You're getting good at that." Ginny muttered, as she leaned across Harry to grab the pumpkin juice.

"I'm scared that it's just going build up." he muttered in reply. "What if they actually explode someday?"

Ginny snorted into her glass of juice and had to apologise when her mother gave her a look.

"What time will you be back?" Mrs Weasley asked. "If it's going to be late then I'll make sure we keep some food back for you."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Ron said, heavily buttering a slice of toast. "We've already paid a visit to Dobby in the kitchens, and we have enough food to last us a couple of days."

"Couple of days?" McGonagall asked, "You're planning to stay there?"

Harry nodded. "Is that a problem?" he asked.

"I should think it is!" Ron's mother responded, and even Remus looked a little concerned over his words.

Ron frowned at his mother. "Why would it be a problem? It may have no one living there, but it's still our headquarters, isn't it?"

Hermione looked across the table at Harry and muttered one word that caused realisation to hit between the trio. "Snape!"

"Snape would still be able to gain access?" Ron asked. "Wouldn't there be wards or something that prevented him from entering. Like anti-black mark type things?"

"He's had the black mark for years." Harry said. "Besides, Dumbledore's dead. I guess that means the fidelious charm won't be active any more. In theory, anyone could enter the building." He looked to Remus who confirmed his suspicions with a nod.

He looked back to Hermione. "I guess that means staying over is out." he said. "I wouldn't want to chance staying there overnight. At least not before we had a good look around."

Hermione nodded and looked to Ron, their plans for the next couple of days dampened by the revelations of possible danger.

"I think we still need to go though." Harry added, looking levelly at the adults and daring them to go against him.

To his relief, none of them did. Though whether that was because they trusted them to be careful, or whether they knew he'd probably head off anyway, he didn't know.

"We can always bring stuff back to look through in more detail here." Hermione said. "If it looks like it is going to take too long, then we can always make some temporary wards and sleep in shifts."

"I just don't see why it is you three that has to go!" Mrs Weasley huffed, stacking plates in an attempt to hide her anxiety. "Why couldn't you just tell us what it is that you're looking for and let one of the Order go?"

Ron just sighed, and as one the trio stood.

"We'll be back tonight." Harry promised, placing a hand on Ginny's shoulder and giving her a small smile. "We'll make a decision at some point during the day as to how much time we'll need to spend there and, if needs be, we'll sort out some temporary wards to place on our next visit."

He looked at Remus. "After all, if I can sense wards shouldn't that mean that I should have a knack for creating them?"

Remus shrugged slightly. "There is no evidence to support either way." he said, "though I suppose it would make some sense."

Harry nodded again. "Then we'll see you tonight." he repeated, giving Ginny a quick kiss on her forehead and squeezing her hand before leading Hermione and Ron out of the hall.

"Knack for wards?" Ron muttered as they returned to the common room to collect their belongings. "You were able to sense that charmed passageway in the corridor the other day, yet you struggled with normal charms in class. Do you really think you're going to be able to pick them up that quickly?"

"His magic's changed now, Ron." Hermione reminded him. "Chances are that he will be better at some things. You're mother was good at Charms, was she not?"

Harry nodded. "And my dad at transfiguration. I'm beginning to think that my success in DADA was due to my Voldemort side being in control."

Hermione nodded in agreement and then smiled. "Though I doubt he could've thought up a happy thought strong enough to produce your patronus though." she pointed out.

Harry sighed, thinking how much he hated discovering new things about himself. "Let's just get out of here." he said, picking up his rucksack.

The three of them walked on the warm but cloudy day down to the gates. Harry once more felt the shiver as he walked through the gates, but put it to the back of his mind as he faced his friends.

"The square out front?" he asked, and the other two nodded. It was probably safer to apparate outside the house, just in case they stumbled on anything dangerous as they reappeared.

Within seconds, the three of them had spun on the spot, wands in hand, and reappeared behind some trees that were dotted around the small square just over the road from where Sirius' house stood.

"You think the muggles were shocked when number twelve suddenly appeared out of nowhere?" Ron asked as they crossed the street.

"I don't think they can see it." Hermione replied, watching two girls walked a mangy looking dog past them without even glancing at the dark and gloomy building seemingly squeezed in between the others in the terrace.

"We should probably get in as soon as possible." she added. "It wouldn't do to have muggles see us disappear into a brick wall."

The other two nodded and glanced about them, making sure there weren't any observers as they quickly climbed the steps to number twelve.

Harry placed his hand against the peeling black paint of the door and felt a tingle in his fingers.

"I'm guessing that's what a muggle-repellent charm feels like." he explained to his friends when they sent him questioning looks. He pulled out his wand and tapped it against the serpentine door-knocker and he heard the locks snap back from the other side.

After another quick look around he pushed at the door and stepped through, Hermione and Ron following close behind.

He turned and closed the door quietly, before taking his first real look at the hallway of the Black's family home.

The hallway was in darkness, the only light that could be seen was coming from a dusty window from the floor above them.

Hermione lit her wand with a whispered word, and the three of them looked anxiously at the moth-eaten old curtains that hid the portrait of Lady Black, Sirius' mother.

"You think she knows we're here yet?" Ron asked quietly.

"Lets not tempt it." Harry said, and jerked his head towards the stairs.

Before he had taken two steps, something rushed out from under the staircase and fled down the hallway, it's claws making clacking noises against the tiled floor.

Hermione squealed slightly and took a step back before covering her mouth with her own hand, preventing any more noise. But the damage had already been done. Her step had caused Ron to fall back into a rickety old table that held a serpentine candlestick, and it fell to the floor with a loud clatter, sending up a cloud full of dust.


	19. Kreacher's Treasures

Apologies if the previous chapters are a little jump starty. Reading back I can see that the story isn't as smooth as it can be, but hopefully the next few chapters will start to improve and flow more. My muse has returned!! Let me know what you think - Read and Review!! Kit. xxx

Chapter 19:

The three of them froze, staring at each other at the sudden break of silence, hardly daring to breathe in anticipation of the tirade that was sure to follow.

Seconds ticked by ever so slowly, and the trio dared to move again when nothing happened.

As they began to relax, smiling nervously at each other, Ron sneezed loudly and suddenly, and instantly the curtains covering the life-sized portrait of the Black matriarch flew open, revealing the eye-rolling witch that had greeted Harry on his first ever visit.

Wincing, Harry, Hermione and Ron went to work to close the curtains again, muttering under their breaths as the painting swore at them and called them names that they daren't repeat in Molly Weasley's company.

"So, who's bright idea was it to come here?" Ron asked as they pulled shut the billowing curtains over Sirius' mother's portrait.

"So much for keeping a low profile." Harry said, wiping his dusty hands on his trousers and smiling grimly at his friends. "But I think Kreacher's been teaching her some new insults since we've been gone."

Hermione glared at him, and he winced as he remembered the promise he had made that morning at breakfast.

"Since we've announced our arrival in true Tonk's fashion, shall we see what the rest of the place is like before we start ploughing through the library?" he suggested, changing the subject

Hermione nodded, and started walking softly down the corridor and descended the stairs that led to the kitchen, skirting the hole that the four legged creature had appeared from before.

"It shouldn't be too bad." she said, pushing open the door. "I believe Dumbledore continued to use this building a lot once he found the wards had transferred to you, Harry."

"But Remus was right, it looks as if people left in a hurry." Ron said, gazing forlornly at the empty room.

There were still several mugs filled with what could've been tea, a plate of biscuit crumbs lay abandoned in the middle of the table, most likely finished off by whatever creature had ran down the hallway. Chairs looked as if they had been pushed back in a hurry, and Ron absently bent down to right one that had been knocked over.

"It must've been in response to the attack on Hogwarts." Hermione said. "No one has really thought of coming back."

"Dumbledore was the secret keeper. Chances are no one's had the nerve to come back." Harry reminded them slowly, and the three of them glanced about, gripping their wands as they half expected Snape to jump out at them.

"Do you think Snape might have put some detector spells around to trap any Order members?" Hermione asked, her voice close to whispering.

"Lets get to the library." Ron said, decisively. "I think I'd feel better if we're secure in one room."

"One room with no way out." Harry reminded him after they had made their way up the stairs and entered the windowless room lined with shelves of dusty books.

Ron grinned sheepishly, but still turned and closed the door firmly behind them, sealing it with a small locking charm they had learnt over the holiday. "Where do we start?" he asked Hermione who was gazing at all the tomes, if anything looking a bit lost.

"I forgot there were so many." she said in a quiet voice.

"And most are probably cursed." Harry said, brushing his hand against a couple of bindings and rubbing his fingertips as they prickled.

"So I guess that means that we're going to have to spend a couple of nights here then?" Ron asked unenthusiastically.

"Looks like it." Harry said. "We might as well make a start whilst we're here. We can take a break later to see if there is a usable bedroom we can crash out in. No doubt Remus will have some protective spells waiting for us when we get back. He'd have remembered what this library was like."

"I'll take this shelf then." Ron said, dragging a chair from the desk and taking a seat, running his finger along titles at eye-height and searching out anything that might be useful.

Harry turned to his left and started doing the same, Hermione walking further into the room to claim her own section.

"This whole section is about blood magic." Ron said after a couple of minutes, taking a book carefully off the shelf. "You think that might bare any relation to horcruxes?"

Harry didn't even bother replying as Hermione answered from the other side of the room. "I think we'll be needing to concentrate on soul magic, or books of death and if you can find them, immortality. The killing curse doesn't require the spilling of blood, and as that seems to be the only way a horcrux can be created I think we can skip them."

Ron nodded and stood up, pulling his chair over to the next stack of books.

Barely an hour had passed before Ron started grumbling under his breath.

"Will you be quiet?" Hermione asked, clearly irritated at his constant muttering. "It's not that different from what we did in the summer."

"There were windows and daylight in Devil's Bridge." Ron reminded her. "Not to mention that we were reading up on decent things, not …" he pulled a random book from the shelf in front of him. " 'A Hundred and One Dark Uses for Unicorn hair'. I didn't even think there were a hundred and one uses for unicorn hair, let alone dark ones! And aren't unicorns supposed to be light creatures?"

"If you are finding it so hard, then why don't you go back to reading you Quidditch books?" Hermione asked.

"Because there aren't any in here!" Ron retorted.

Harry rolled his eyes and expelled a resigned breath. He turned into the room to find his friends facing off against one another and just couldn't summon up the energy to interrupt them.

As Hermione placed her hands on her hips, Harry picked up his wand that had been lying on the shelf he was examining and headed for the door. He didn't think the other two even noticed as he left the room, their squabble already turning to full vent as he closed the door behind him.

He stood in the dark corridor, wondering which way he should go. His decision took him to the right, having already come from the stairs that led down to his left.

He walked along the corridor and stepped into the drawing room that he had cleaned out with Sirius and the others before his Ministry hearing. By the scurrying he heard in the long tapestries it seemed that the Doxys had moved back in after their untimely removal, and he ventured slowly around the large desk, remembering that it had once homed a boggart.

He turned and scanned the rest of the room, his eyes resting on the dust covered glass cabinets that had held various cursed trinkets that Kreacher had been so determined to claim for himself, trying to steal them in order to protect his mistresses belongings.

His eyes narrowed as a memory tickled his thoughts and he stepped closer to the cabinets, remembering the sinister musical box, the golden ring, a number of older books …

His breath began to quicken as the memory of an old dusty locket sprung to mind. One which had been passed around the group as they had attempted to open it and had finally been thrown into the rubbish sack with the rest of the items they had collected.

He leant against the desk suddenly, slightly in shock of the possibility of what he was remembering, but soon jumped up when the desk shook violently, confirming his earlier suspicions that a boggart had also moved back in since the house had been abandoned.

His jump had spun him around to face the large tapestry of the Black bloodline. His eyes were drawn down the golden threads of the most noble descendants of the house of Black until it rested at the small smouldering mark that had once been Sirius' name.

His eyes crossed to that of his brother, and his knees buckled again as he saw the stitched name.

"Regulus A Black" Harry whispered to himself, his fingers brushing the name as if to confirm it was truly there.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket that he had carried with him ever since Dumbledore's burial service at the beginning of the summer. With trembling fingers he opened it and pulled out the small slip of parchment that had been folded inside.

"R.A.B" he muttered in confirmation, and he had a flashback to another time when Sirius had stood in front of the tapestry with him and explained that Regulus had been killed by Voldemort.

"But what if it wasn't on his orders?" Harry muttered to himself, looking once more at the tapestry in front of him and remembering that Sirius had doubted his brother was important enough to have been killed by Voldemort's own hand. "What if he had done something so terrible that caused Voldemort to kill him as punishment?"

He jumped to his feet and ran over to the empty glass cabinet, hoping beyond all hope that the locket would still be sitting in the corner somewhere, even though he clearly remembered it being placed in the rubbish sack.

But the cabinet was most definitely empty, and he slumped his forehead against it in exasperation.

"So close." he muttered to himself.

It only took a few moments to remember that Kreacher had been wandering around that day, and his heart began to thud again as he raced out the Drawing room and down the corridor towards the kitchen, thinking that maybe the house elf had hidden the locket along with the other "treasures" he had been saving.

He hit the kitchen still running, though he had slowed in order to prevent disturbing the portrait of Sirius' mother once more, and practically dived under the boiler that stood in the corner cupboard of the kitchen, still sliding across the stone floor in his haste and nearly hitting his head against the pipes that ran underneath the rusty old furnace.

He grimaced when he found himself in a very tight place, his face inches from a number of mouldy old blankets that had been arranged in a rough outline of a nest.

He reached forward, and taking a deep breath pulled aside the blankets, revealing several old photographs, books and piles of other knick-knacks that Kreacher had been collecting over the years.

Harry tried not to breathe in the unclean elf smell of the blankets as he pulled at the piles to bring them closer for examination. He knocked over a small portrait whose occupier was absent, and almost instantly heard the distant screaming of Mrs Black's portrait in the hallway.

He continued with his search, rifling his fingers through old rings, a pair of false teeth that could've been carved from bone and several golden necklaces that didn't resemble the locket he was searching for.

He was so engrossed with his search, defeat staring him as close in the face as the end of a clawed finger he had inadvertently touched, that he didn't notice the increase in volume of Sirius' mother's insults, nor the soft pad of footsteps entering the kitchen and walking up behind him.

He huffed in annoyance when he realised that the necklace was most definitely not there, and cried out in shock when he felt a pair of cold hands grab his ankles, pulling at them in order to get him out from under the boiler.

Harry started to struggle, twisting part way onto his back in order to catch a glimpse of his foe and pulling his wand out. As he felt himself sliding across the floor he raised his head and looked to his feet, seeing a narrowed pair of eyes and a wand tip before feeling a sharp pain on the front of his head and falling back into unconsciousness.


	20. Asking Kreacher

Chapter 20:

"Harry? Harry! Can you hear us?"

"He's out cold, Hermione. I don't think he can hear anything."

"Now's not the time, Ron. I think he's coming round. Harry?"

Harry groaned and moved his head slightly, wincing as it rolled on the cold stone floor.

He frowned slightly, trying to remember what happened, and regretted the action when his skin pulled tight over a painful spot on his forehead. He raised his hand up and felt a lump the size of a snitch over the top of his right eye.

He opened his eyes and saw Hermione on one side and Ron squatting next to him on the other.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked gently.

Harry sat up gingerly before answering, and looked behind him to see the boiler he had been under moments before. His search for the necklace came back to him and he groaned.

"I was so close." he muttered rubbing his hand across his forehead and then looking with disgust at the colour of his hand when he brought it away. "What happened?"

"We thought Kreacher had got you." Ron said, and ignored the little huff from Hermione. "We heard the portrait start to shout and realised you weren't in the room. When we came downstairs we saw your legs poking out from under the boiler and thought Kreacher was trying to pull you under. So I grabbed your ankles and pulled back."

"And my head?" Harry asked.

"I think you hit it on a pipe on the way out." Hermione said. "You did pop out in a bit of a rush."

Harry sighed and almost smiled at the silliness of the situation. If it wasn't for the headache building up behind his eyes he was sure he'd be laughing.

"Were you two arguing up there for all that time?" he asked.

"Kind of." Ron said, but Harry noticed Hermione divert a gaze and Ron's ears turned a slight shade of pink as they had when Hermione had held his hand at the wedding.

He smiled inwardly to himself and pushed himself to his feet, choosing not to question them any further for the time being.

"What were you doing under there anyway, Harry?" Hermione asked as Ron helped him into a seat at the table.

Harry pulled a nail clipping from his jumper and explained his theory about the necklace and R.A.B's identity.

"Unbelievable." Ron said. "I remember that necklace. We found it just after you had that metal thing crawl up your arm. I remember because of Sirius' aim was spot on with that book he swatted it with."

"That and it resembled a spider." Harry said with a small smile. "I am sure that's what we're looking for. But if Kreacher hasn't got it here, I don't know how we're going to find it."

"Just call him and ask him." Hermione said, and continued to explain at the boys blank look. "He belongs to you, doesn't he? He's probably still working at Hogwarts like you ordered him to last year. Why don't you call him here and ask him if he's seen it. He can't lie to you."

Harry looked at Ron who shrugged. "Why not?"

"You won't yell at me or anything?" he asked Hermione.

She seemed a little undecided then nodded her head when she came to a decision. "This is important." she said. "we need to find that necklace to make sure that the Horcrux is removed. We might as well continue with the lead before it gets any colder."

Harry nodded and shouted out "Kreacher!" in a clear voice.

Barely a second had past when the house-elf in question appeared in front of them, just as old and smelly as ever. As first he seemed elated at being back in the Black household, then his face dropped again when he saw the trio sitting at the table.

"Evil traitor of a master calls me from my work at the muggle-loving school." Kreacher muttered as he sidled his way up to where Harry and the others were waiting for him at the table. "What he wants, Kreacher doesn't know, but it is sure to disgrace my poor mistress's name even more."

"Kreacher, I was wondering if I could ask you a question?"

Kreacher looked up at Harry suspiciously. "Nasty Master asks Kreacher if he can be asked a question? He is feigning niceties to get something from Kreacher. Kreacher will remain as true to his mistress as possible." he raised his back straighter, though not able to make himself look any more impressive with his dirty loin cloth and papery old skin. "What can Kreacher help Master with?"

"Kreacher, I'm looking for a necklace. A silver locket with an imprint of a snake on the front. I was wondering if you knew where it was?"

Kreacher broke eye contact with Harry and his eyes darted around the kitchen. "The Potter boy asks for Master's locket." he muttered to himself. "But Kreacher is not knowing where the locket is. Kreacher has looked, but fears it was thrown out with the rest of my mistress's treasures."

He frowned a little more then looked up at Harry, who had already part-heard the muttered conversation, with a glint of triumph in his eyes. "The Black family had many necklaces like those Master describes. Kreacher is not knowing what locket Master is talking about."

Harry sighed and pulled the mock locket he had retrieved with Dumbledore at the beginning of the summer. "It looks similar to this one." he said. "But has a snake on the front."

Kreacher's eyes lit up with desire as he saw the necklace. "The boy has Master Regulus' necklace!" he said, and reached up with a little jump to try and grab it, though Harry just pulled it slightly out of his reach.

"Kreacher," he said in a hard voice, trying hard to sound patient and understanding. "I order you to tell me if you have seen any other lockets like this one. And to tell me where they are."

Kreacher rang his hands in agitation as he stared at the necklace. "Kreacher is not knowing where the necklace is the boy asks for." he said, almost sounding upset when he was denied chance to have the locket in Harry's hand.

He looked about the room a little, obviously thinking up ways to get the necklace, when again his face lit up with an idea.

The old house-elf looked up at Harry. "Kreacher doesn't know of the necklace you speak of." he said. "But he does know of one who pilfered many of mistress's belongings. Maybe that filthy thief knows where your necklace is?"

"Who's he talking about?" Ron asked.

"Mundungus Fletcher." Harry replied. "Remember that we caught him that time with all the Black silverware? He went to Azkaban soon after that."

"You think they'd let us visit him and ask him if he's seen it?" Ron asked, sounding as if he already knew the answer.

"I imagine that security would be virtually impossible to organise." Hermione said. "What with the break out and the Dementors, I doubt anyone in the Order would trust going themselves let alone accompanying us there."

"What about just heading across by ourselves?" Harry asked.

"You really want to go visit Azkaban?" Ron asked.

Harry thought briefly about the hollow look he used to see in Sirius' eyes and the haunted look in Hagrid's eyes when he had returned in their second year.

"Not really." he said softly. "But would we have a choice?"

"He would've had to sell it somewhere." Hermione said. "Maybe we can head to Diagon Alley and have look at the stalls there? Maybe someone will know who he dealt with?"

"Probably more likely to find something in Knockturn Alley." Ron said. "Though I doubt it'll be safe for us to head down there without some sort of disguise. Maybe we ought to ask Remus to go look for us? What do you think, Harry?"

Harry was staring absently at Kreacher, whose eyes had not left the locket as it swung from Harry's hand, and who was now squatting on the floor, his grubby loin cloth falling between his knees and rocking back and forth and muttering under his breath about his evil Master who wouldn't give him the necklace.

With a sigh he opened the locket, removed the paper from the inside, then swung the necklace over to the house elf who looked up at him with wide disbelieving eyes.

"Take it." Harry said, shaking it slightly. "You've helped us by giving us information about Dung. Thank you."

"You will give Kreacher his necklace?"

Harry nodded and dropped off his chair onto one knee, still holding out the locket to the elf who slowly reached out and took it.

"Return to Hogwarts now, Kreacher." Harry said. "And thank you again for your help."

Kreacher looked at him, still in shock. But with the locket now wrapped between his fingers, he disappeared with a small crack, following Harry's order without complaint and returning to the Hogwarts kitchens.

"That was a really nice thing you did, Harry." Hermione said.

Harry nodded. "I was tempted to ask him to go to Azkaban to talk to Dung for us." he said. "But then I figured that there must be some sort of wards preventing house elves from getting in else owners would be ordering their elves in to rescue them all the time. Besides, if we don't want to go then I would be unwilling to order another to go in our place."

"So Diagon Alley it is then?" Ron asked, and Harry nodded.

"We might as well finish searching the library here for the rest of the day, though." he said, nodding to the kitchen door and the stairs. "We can plan out what we're going to do next when we're back at school, though chances are that Dung never recovered the locket from the rubbish and it was thrown out with the rest of the stuff. "


	21. Knockturn Alley

_My apologies for the delay in updating, have a lot of big decisions to make in terms of career change and possible relocation. Hoping that you are all still enjoying the story. Would love to hear from you. Hint hint, review, review!!_

Chapter 21.

The next few days were spent searching the Black library for any information on horcruxes. The trio refrained from spending the nights at Grimmauld Place and instead took any likely looking tomes and read them in the comfort of the Gryffindor common room, always careful to keep them away from the prying eyes of Ginny and the twins. Harry was content with the arrangement as it seemed to please Ginny to have them back each evening, and he was able to enjoy many quality hours with his girlfriend as well as continue their training with Remus, Tonks and occasionally Moody or Kingsley.

By Thursday, however, they had only found three brief paragraphs breaching the topic of achieving immortality through horcruxes, and none of them had any information that could aid them in seeking and destroying the items that hold them, other than to be told to break any protection enchantments placed on each horcrux by the person who had created it in the first place.

"I guess that confirms that each one will have to be treated differently." Ron had surmised, and the others had agreed ruefully.

Because of their lack of success in the library, Harry had decided that Friday would be the day they would head to Knockturn Alley to seek out the necklace that might possibly have been sold by Mundungus Fletcher.

Harry acquired some Enhancement Hats from the twins that changed the appearance of the wearer better than any transfiguration or charms and lasted longer than polyjuice and the trio apparated to the junction of Knockturn and Diagon.

"Are you sure that these disguises are going to work?" Ron asked, fidgeting slightly as they stood together.

"Do you look like yourself?" Hermione asked, indicating the wide rimmed hat that was placed over his black hair and freckle-less face. He also had a small beard tufting out of the middle of his chin. Harry thought that he looked rather like an old musketeer that he had seen once in a film on television.

"Well, no." Ron replied.

"Then the disguises work!" she said. "Besides, don't you think you've got off easily? At least you aren't dressed like an old witch!"

Harry snorted slightly at his shorter friend, who had hunched over in a torn old cloak and faded scarf to match her face that sported many winkles and occasional hairy wart. "Oh, I don't know." he said. "Give it a hundred years or so, you might actually look like that someday."

"Merlin, I hope not!" Hermione said with a shudder.

"You'd never look as hideous as that." Ron said, blushing slightly as he realised what he had just said.

"It starts." Harry muttered to himself with a roll of his eyes. "C'mon." he said louder. "Lets go, and remember to stay within sight of each other and look for anything with the Black coat of arms."

The three of them headed down into the shadows of Knockturn Alley, stepping away from one another to seem like they were walking alone, yet staying within easy calling distance as they peered into shop windows and examined items on the trading stalls that were dotted here and there.

It took them nearly an hour to cover less than half the street, and it surprised Harry that there were so many shops squeezed into the tiny shopping lane. The couple of occasional visits he had previously made to the alley, accidentally or otherwise, had only been within sight of the bright airiness of Diagon Alley, but after a slight bend in the cobbled street there stretched many more dark looking shops advertising various wares.

A quick skim around Borgin and Burkes, under the watchful eye of the owner, had Ron squirming uncomfortably but he gave his friends a quick shake of his head to show that there had been nothing with the mark of the Black family name on display.

Harry slipped into thought as he meandered down the lane. It had surprised him how easy it had been for them to get into Knockturn Alley without causing any suspicion, though he suppose their changed looks had aided them greatly.

He paused at a grubby window and stared at a myriad of creatures staring at him from tiny cages. Some looked too big to be in the tiny boxes, and all looked like they had been combined from several breeds of creature. He was fascinated by a mouse that looked like it had wings when he felt something tug on his elbow.

He whipped around, his hand firmly gripping the person who had touched him, and relaxed when he saw Hermione standing there.

"Do you think he needs a hand?" She asked, putting on a croaky voice, and nodding across the street from where they were standing.

Harry looked over to see Ron raising his hands in defence against a one legged beggar who was waving his wand at him.

"What did he do?" he asked from under the dark hood that covered his face.

"Tripped over the basket." Hermione replied, and Harry saw the overturned container had spilt its contents all over the cobbles, and whatever it had contained was now trying to wiggle grotesquely away from the beggar.

He watched as two older witches walked up behind Ron, scantily dressed in tight fitting robes. They calmed the old man, and eagerly took Ron by the arms, running their fingers down his face and over his chest.

"Harry." Hermione's voice seemed more urgent than before.

"I don't they're going to harm him, Hermione." Harry said, smirking underneath his hood at Ron's red ears as he tried to disentangle himself from the eager witches.

"No, there." Hermione said, pulling once more on his elbow and pointing to a stall further down the street.

"What?" he asked, not seeing what she was pointing at.

"The necklace! Harry, I think the necklace is right over there!"

Harry's eyes shot to the stall she was pointing at. It was stood before a nameless shop with broken shutters and seemed to hold a number of different trinkets that were each labelled with a small yellow tag. He scanned the stall, and saw a number of necklaces hanging from a metal tree standing in the middle of it. Just left of the centre branch hung a silver locket with an engraving on the front. From this distance Harry couldn't see the details of it, but something turned low in his belly and he knew he had to go over to check.

"Go help Ron." he told Hermione, after sparing a glance at his friend who was shooting pleading looks at them. "I'll go get the locket and meet you at the end of the street."

"How …?" Hermione started.

"Just pretend you're his wife or something." Harry interrupted.

"No, I was going to ask how you were planning on getting the locket?"

"I'll try the easy way." Harry replied, shaking the pocket that contained a handful of Galleons he had collected from Gringotts previously and walking over to the stall.

He cast his eyes over several rings and bracelets, and fingered a couple of the yellow labels, noting that they listed the curses placed on each item. As he feigned interest, he discreetly examined the locket and nearly cheered out loud when he saw the engraving of a snake on the front, the same he had seen in the memory Dumbledore had shown him.

"I wouldn't go touching things you don't know." a slimy voice said. "You never know what might happen."

Harry looked up to see a short figure standing on the other side of the stall as heavily cloaked as he was. He got the impression that the witch was eons old, and could see long yellow nails sticking out from her long sleeves.

"Are all of these cursed?" Harry asked, speaking slowly and trying to take on an air he had seen on the Malfoys.

"Depends what you mean by cursed." the vendor replied from deep within the cloak. "What are you looking for?"

"I have someone I rather … dislike." Harry said, lifting a ring and taking a mock interest in it and the label before returning it to the table.

"These items are not toys to sort a meagre problem." The witch warned him.

"Oh no," Harry assured her. "I'm looking for something a little more discreet. Something that will play with someone's mind."

"Let me see your face."

Harry hesitated slightly then lifted his hands, pushing his hood back to fall onto his shoulders, revealing brown hair capped by a navy cap, intense brown eyes and a small silver ring in his left ear. Most importantly, the twin's hat had hidden his scar.

"Your eyes hold much weight." the vendor said after a few minutes silence. "You have survived much suffering in your younger years."

Harry nodded, somehow knowing that the witch could not sense his disguise yet was reading his eyes somehow, though not with the classic art of Legilimancy.

"I was brought up by muggles who prevented me from learning about my true heritage." he said, speaking part truth though without any real intention of harming the Dursley's. "I would like something to repay them for the mind games they played on me when I was a child. Something that would bring back memories to haunt them of the way they treated me when I was younger."

He watched as the crone reached for a necklace, and ground his teeth when she picked the one next to Slytherin's locket.

"This one brings about a person's worst nightmares. Enough to make them look over their shoulder with intense waves of paranoia every time they leave the house."

Harry nodded, playing on being interested as he took the odd looking necklace from her hand. He examined the pendant which resembled a squashed cats face with a odd looking star coming out the top.

"Do you have anything that might replay their past memories? I believe that reliving the torture they made me endure for so many years would be repayment enough."

The old witch was silent beneath her cloak hood for several long seconds, before reaching for Slytherin's locket.

"I have this one." she said. "It has only recently come into my possession and I have not yet had time to identify the curse placed upon it. But reports that came with it claim symptoms that match what you look for."

"Will it kill a person?" Harry asked, reaching for it, but the witch withdrew it from his reach.

"Would it be a problem if it did?"

Harry made himself look thoughtful as he sought an answer that might appease her.

"I don't suppose it would." he said slowly, once more trying to imitate Malfoy's air. "I have no need of muggle ties. But having them relive a lifetime of mental pain would certainly be more than enough to repay my debt to them."

The hooded figure nodded. "The unfortunate soul that last wore this necklace did not die." she confirmed. "Though is currently living a life that could be classed as worse than death."

"What is the price?" Harry asked, placing the first necklace he had been given on back onto one of the branches of the tree.

"As I haven't had a proper chance to examine it yet, I would say fifty galleons, and a kiss."

Harry frowned. "A kiss?" he asked, confused.

The knurled hands with the yellowing nails reached up and pushed back the hood to reveal a young beauty. Auburn hair fell down around her shoulders and dark eyes stared at him from under long lashes as she leaned across the table towards him. "A kiss." she repeated in a completely different voice, lowering her head slightly and looking up at him suggestively.

Harry thought quickly, noting that the witch's hands were still old and worn, and sensing that there was something more disturbing and dangerous about her request for a simple kiss.

"What's in a kiss?" the witch asked, pouting slightly at his hesitation.

Harry leaned forward, keeping the dangling locket in the corner of his sight as he stared into her eyes. He doubted his developing idea would work, but he had no intention of kissing the witch who, though looking young and well groomed, still smelt like she hadn't brushed her teeth for a decade.

"How about I give you seventy galleons and a promise to return to tell you how well things went?"

"And the kiss?" the witch asked, leaning ever closer to Harry.

By now Harry was certain the witch was some sort of metamophmagus like Tonks.

"I'll keep the talking to a minimum." Harry said suggestively, staring deep into her eyes and hoping that his father's charm and his hazel eyes would work once more.

The witch seemed to believe him as she started to nod, a smile on her face.

"Here," she said, holding out the necklace.

Harry leant back, relieved to take a breath of fresh air after being so close to the foul smelling witch for so long. "And your money." he replied, handing her the bag of galleons he had hidden in his cloak.

He took the locket and winced as his finger tips began to burn, his newly acquired sensitivity to magic obviously sensing the cursed soul embedded deep within the object.

He managed to restrain the urge to drop the necklace though, and placed the locket in his pocket before bowing to the witch. "To our next meeting." he said with as steady a voice as he could manage and the witch smiled and bowed her head in return.

Harry spun on his heel and started walking away, glancing down at his fingers to see blisters forming on their tips where he had held the locket.

He now knew two things without a doubt. The first was that Dumbledore most certainly has the same awareness of magic that Harry now had, and was probably the cause of his blackened hand holding the Gaunts' ring for so long. The second was that, even though he was glad he had now obtained the locket, it was evident that Regulus Black had not had the chance to destroy the Horcrux within it.


	22. Foolish

_Hi folks, here's another update. Sorry about the late update but i tend to write up to 4 chapters in advance (in case i need to go back and change anything) and have bit of a mental block with a link between major plot points. I think I've bridged the point now though, so should be able to update regularly over the next couple of days. _

_Would love to hear some reviews. kit. xx_

Chapter 22:

He met the others at the entrance to Knockturn Alley, and they rounded on him excitedly. "Did you get it?" Hermione asked, completly forgetting about her disguise and talking in a loud and excited voice, eliciting several looks from other shoppers on the street.

Harry nodded, and glanced about him before setting off down Diagon Alley. "Let's get to the twin's shop. Maybe they've got a room we can talk in."

Seconds later they were removing the Enhancement Hats and placing them on one of the tables in the twins' workshop.

"It always smells like something's blown up in here." Ron said, wrinkling his nose slightly. He pushed his finger at a black gooey mass on one of the tables and backed away quickly as it started to ooze away from his finger by itself.

"Let's see it." Hermione said eagerly, pulling her cloak off and placing it on the back of a chair.

Harry held open his pocket. "You're going to have to take it out." he said, turning slightly to his friends. "I can't touch it."

"Why not?" Ron asked.

Harry held up his hand which had now blistered violently across all his fingers. "Remind you of someone else's hand?" he asked.

Hermione grabbed his hand and examined its burnt fingertips.

"Is it spreading?" she asked with concern.

"Not really," Harry assured her, examining his fingers once more. "It's just where I grabbed it. I imagine that Dumbledore put the ring on when the horcrux was still in it without thinking at some point. I did notice he was wearing it for a couple of our meetings."

Hermione nodded. "We'll treat the burns when we get back." she said. "They are quite small in comparison, and I'm guessing you weren't holding the locket long. I doubt they'll scar." she then started digging in Harry's pocket, eventually pulling out the locket.

"Well, there it is." Ron said, as the three of them stared at the locket as it spun lazily in the air as Hermione held it up. "You think it still has the Horcrux in it?"

Harry held up his hand to remind Ron of his blisters and his friend's shoulders drooped slightly. "So how do we get rid of it?"

"I can think of two ways." Hermione said, leaning against one of the tables, the locket still dangling from her fingers. "The first is the use of Basilisk venom. We know that destroyed the Horcrux in the diary. Though getting the venom into the locket would be difficult, and I'm not sure immersing the locket in the venom will be enough. It's bound to have some protection charms on it that would make it impervious to most liquids."

"It was sat in a bowl of potion before Regulus took it." Harry reminded her. "So your guess is most likely right."

"Which leaves destroying the Horcrux the way Voldemort probably intended. Someone will have to put it on and destroy it that way."

"Put it on?" Ron asked incredulously.

"It seems Dumbledore had to put the ring on to destroy it." Hermione said. "It just logical that the same would apply here."

"So not only would someone have to drink though the poison to get at the locket in the first place, they'd then have to go through whatever torture the necklace with put them through in order to destroy it?" Ron stated.

"Well, these treasures hold parts of his soul." Hermione reminded him. "He's bound to want to protect them as much as he can."

Harry nodded. "The witch said that the person who had given it to her reported the locket caused the wearer to relive old memories." he said. "I'm sure that was the same as whatever potion it was sitting in. The way Dumbledore behaved when I was making him drink the potion was as if he was recalling some old memories that pained him."

"So we're going to have to have a mental battle with it." Hermione said. "I guess that means me."

Both Harry and Ron spluttered their protest, their voices rising until Hermione raised her hands to silence them.

"You can't even touch it," she reminded Harry. "If Dumbledore's hand looked the way it did when he put the ring on, imagine what your head would look like if you put it round your neck! And Ron, I don't mean to be nasty, but if it came to a battle of brains, I'd probably win."

"I beat you at chess all the time. What if it isn't a case of knowledge but of strategy and planning that is needed?"

Hermione opened her mouth to argue back, but frowned as she suddenly couldn't think of a response.

Harry held out his hand for the necklace, the sleeve of his cloak protecting his fingers. "We'll discuss it when we're back at school." he said. "Each of us can think up an argument on the way back, if we still can't decide who needs to do this, then we'll draw straws. Agreed?"

Hermione and Ron nodded and Harry took the locket in his hand.

"Meet you outside the school." Harry said, and watched as his friends gave a quick spin and disappeared.

He looked down at the necklace and with sudden resolve started pulling his shirt collar up over his neck. He knew that it wouldn't be long before Ron and Hermione realised that his noble streak had once more taken over, and quickly hooked the necklace around his neck, wincing as the clasp burnt his fingers slightly, though not as much as holding the locket itself had done.

He dropped the necklace onto his chest and looked up as Hermione and Ron once more appeared before him, both red faced and angry.

"I knew it!" Hermione shouted, rushing to Harry and grabbing his shoulders as she stared at the necklace that hung outside his shirt. "YOU IDIOT!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ron shouted just as loud, rushing to his friend's side. "Are you okay? Is anything happening?"

Harry shook his head. "I feel fine." he said, examining his fingertips again.

He looked up at his friends. "I just don't want you two to put yourselves on the line for me. This is my job, and I can't afford to lose either of you."

Hermione looked like she was going to cry, her eyes were swimming with tears as she looked at the locket on Harry's chest.

"But if the prophecy is right, then you have to be there at the end." she said. "If Dumbledore didn't survive the last Horcrux, how can you survive this one?"

Harry looked down, seeing sense in her words.

"Well, nothing seems to be happening." Ron said. "I vote we take it off and let one of us give it a go." he reached his hands out questioningly and Harry nodded, not happy but willing to let his friend take it off.

Ron reached behind his neck and searched for the clasp, running the chain through his fingers as he searched for it.

"Need a hand?" Hermione asked, impatient to get the necklace off Harry as soon as possible.

"I can't find the clasp." Ron said, walking around Harry to look properly. He stared in shock at the necklace, walking around again to check the front. "There isn't one." he said, looking up at Harry.

Harry frowned, and reached back, wincing as he searched the chain himself. "But I've only just done it up." he said, then groaned as he felt a flare of power originate from the locket and into his chest. He looked up at his friends as he realised what was happening.

"Oh no!" Hermione said, her tears now falling down her face as she understood the look Harry sent her.

"What's wrong?" Ron asked.

Harry was taking short breaths, trying hard not to antagonise whatever it was he had felt in his chest. "I don't know." he said, mentally examining his body to see if there was anything wrong. "But it didn't feel right."

Just as suddenly as the pulse of magic from the locket, Harry felt his head swim and the world spun around him. He heard his friends call his name as he fell forward onto his knees and tried hard to keep his balance, but he couldn't work out where he was anymore. He looked around, but could see nothing but whiteness until, out of nowhere, appeared a familiar looking door partially covered in spider's webs. With a small groan he recognised the inside view that he had stared at most of his younger life. He was back inside the cupboard under the stairs.


	23. Destroying the Locket

_Hi peeps, would love to hear what you think - not getting a lot of feedback so far (thanks to those that have reviewed though). Do you like/dislike?? R&R! Thanks. Kit. xxx_

Chapter 23.

Harry looked down at himself, and in the dim light realised that he was once more a little boy, trapped inside the cupboard he had come to see as home when he was a child.

He wracked his memories to try to remember what he was doing back here. He knew he didn't belong under the stairs any more, and could remember Hogwarts and his friends. But the reason why he had suddenly appeared under the stairs seven years younger evaded him.

There was a thump from above him and he looked up to see clouds of dust falling from the stairs above, making him rub his nose and cough slightly as the thuds continued down the stairs. From the weight of them it could only be Dudley or his Uncle Vernon, his aunt was much more dainty when walking down the stairs.

He frantically started searching around for his wand, knowing that if he had indeed been de-aged and put back into the cupboard then it was for no good reason and he was sure to need some sort of defence.

He spun in a squatting position, running his hands along the floor, desperately trying to find the familiar piece of holly that he had brought from Diagon Alley when he was eleven.

With a final thud, whoever it was that was descending the stairs had reached the bottom stair and Harry froze, holding his breath to await was going to happen next.

Just like when he was growing up, he heard a fist connect with the outside of the cupboard door and the sound of the lock shoot back. He frowned slightly, awaiting the wake up shout that usually accompanied his Uncle Vernon's presence, or that taunts that came from his fat cousin Dudley, but the cupboard stayed eerily silent as the door swung away from him a couple of inches.

He reached out when it didn't open any further and pushed at the wooden door. It swung open the rest of the way, and with a gasp of horror Harry scooted back into the darkness, trying hard not to scream at the sight before him.

His uncle stood before him, leering into the cupboard. But instead of the red-faced, pig-eyed man that Harry remembered, his uncle was pale, with blue lips and blackened teeth. His eyes had clouded over with a milky whiteness that stared unseeingly at Harry.

Harry couldn't help but let out a cry as the _thing_ that was imitating his uncle reached into the cupboard to grab him, his skeletal hands brushing Harry's clothing as the boy frantically tried to escape, kicking out with his feet in an attempt to keep away from the deadened image of his uncle.

His uncle, if it was his uncle, just seemed to grin even more, and Harry screamed as he saw something move inside his uncle's mouth.

He pulled his body as far back into the cupboard as he could, and with a cry of determination kicked out hard, actually aiming for his uncle this time as opposed to the frantic kicking he had been doing before.

His uncle was pushed back as Harry's feet connected with his chest, but as Harry tried to push past him into the hall, he felt the cold hand's of his uncle grab at his waist, pulling him back into a strong embrace.

Harry tried to fight the urge to be sick as he smelt something that had been rotting for sometime, and nearly froze in shock when he saw several maggots fall onto his shoulder from where his uncle's face was close to his own.

He screamed again, raising one foot and kicking back into his uncle's knee. The strong arms released him instantly and Harry bolted forward into the kitchen.

"Oh, thank God." he said as he saw a familiar figure at the sink. "Aunt Petunia, you have to help me…"

He froze as the figure at the sink turned around revealing a skin covered skeleton wearing his aunt's cleaning dress and apron. Once more Harry started to back away as his aunt started advancing towards him, the towel that she used to wring in her hands when she was anxious now looking very threatening to the smaller boy.

Harry spun, and inadvertently ran straight into the arms of his uncle, who picked him up and threw him bodily at the counter next to the upright freezer.

Harry crashed against a pile of plates that were stacked there, sending them crashing to the floor around him as he tried to protect his head with his arms.

The noise hadn't even subsided when he felt something hot hit his upper arm, and looked down to see blood running freely from a tear in his baggy t-shirt. He looked up in shock to see his aunt standing there, a large shard of broken china in her hand. He stared as she swiped at him again with her acquired weapon and he raised his hands in defence, wincing as he once more felt a sharp pain in the palm of his right hand as he scooted away.

Harry scrambled to his feet, slipping slightly on the broken pottery, and darted into the living room, not even hesitating to see what state his cousin was in before slamming into the back door and running into the back garden.

He stared up at the sky that was dark and overcast, the first few drops of rain were just beginning to fall.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?" he shouted as loud as he could, scared and confused. He didn't know what he was doing here, he didn't know why his relatives were the walking dead and he certainly couldn't work out what he was going to do to get everything back to normal.

He spun in a circle, blood drops flying from his wounds as his eyes took in the neatly manicured lawn and the flower beds he had weeded year after year as he desperately sought something to help him.

A noise from the house made him turn and he staggered as he saw his friends from Hogwarts walk out into the rain, his heart stopping as he saw their eyes were just as dead as those of his uncle, and their blackened fingers reached out to him as they walked across the patio.

"NO!" Harry cried, spinning around and running across the garden. He leapt up and grabbed the top of the six-foot fence that ran around the back garden, swinging one leg up and over in order to escape.

In the moment when he adjusted his grip to pull himself over, he sensed a great power coming, and looked up to see a bright light heading towards him.

He started to lose his grip in fear and his nostrils filled with a acrid smell of burning as he fell to the ground.

It seemed an age later when the noise hit his ears, the pressure of the sound wave knocking the breath out of him as he curled up into a ball in the middle of the flower bed he had landed in.

He peeked out from under his arms to see the tree that overhung from next doors garden had been struck by lightning and was now burning brightly barely meters away from where he had been trying to scale the fence.

His head jerked back to the house to see that the lightning had done nothing to scare off the advancing crowd of dead people, though he briefly concluded that once you were dead you didn't have that much to fear.

They were too close now to try to scale the fence again. Being as short as he was he needed a run up to be able to grab the top of the fence and have enough momentum to swing his leg over. He desperately looked around, pushing his hair out from behind his glasses and smearing his face with blood from his palm as it started to rain harder.

His eyes fell on a burning branch that had fallen from the tree when the lightning hit. He glanced once more at the advancing threat before pushing himself to his feet, running as fast as he can to the burning branch and grabbing it by one end, swinging it round and brandishing it as some sort of weapon as his dead friends came closer.

"STAY AWAY!" he shouted, swinging the branch in front of him. "Get away from me!"

The dead bodies hissed at him through their blackened teeth but seemed unable to make any other sound.

"Now, now, Harry. Is that any way to respect the dead?"

Harry froze, and spun around to see Voldemort standing beneath the burning tree, trapping Harry between himself and the dead bodies of his friends.

"They are not my friends!"

Voldemort laughed slightly. "I'm sure they'd love to her you say that. After all they have done for you in the past, this is how you repay them? Threatening them with fire and pushing them away when all they may want to do it help?"

Harry glanced back over his shoulder, swinging his fiery branch around as he did so and sending his attackers back.

"They are not my friends." he spat again through clenched teeth. "This isn't real. My friends are alive, and trying to work out how to get me out of this… this …"

Voldemort started laughing, his lipless mouth opening wide as he cackled. "You don't even know where you are, do you Harry? If you can't help yourself, how do you expect them to know what to do? Face it, boy, you've lost everything. Your friends are dead and have now turned on you. You are alone. Do you like that feeling, Harry, being on your own?"

Harry felt something grab his shoulder and spun around, aiming with the fiery branch to suddenly realise he had just clubbed Ron around the head with the flames.

"NO!" he shouted, and started throwing the branch around wildly. "This isn't real. It can't be real. Hermione and Ron aren't dead, they're waiting for me."

He grunted as he swung the branch, not noticing the flames licking the back of his hands or the tears that fell down his face as he hit Ginny, Hermione, Remus, then Sirius.

He stumbled when he saw his parents, and with a shake of his head and a silent prayer for forgiveness, he swung the branch again, clenching his eyes shut as the flames burnt the replicas of his mum and dad.

He let the branch drop after that, and let his eyes open to see all the bodies of his friends and family lying, burnt and unmoving, on the floor around him.

"See what you have done, Harry?" Voldemort said softly, coming up behind him. "You have killed them all."

Harry shook his head, knowing inside that even though the dead bodies of his friends seemed so real, he was not the person that he remembered he had been and therefore all this must be some sort of false reality.

He turned, determination burning in his chest and eyes as he faced Voldemort, somehow knowing that the Dark Lord must be the reason for his being here.

"If they are indeed dead," he said, "then they were dead a long time before this." he indicated the mound of bodies behind him. "They would've died for something they believed in, and they would have never turned against me."

He took a couple of steps forward. "After all, that's something you have never really understood, isn't it Tom? What it means to have friends? To care about someone and know that they would willingly give their life for you, in return for the knowledge that you would willingly give your life for them."

"You are foolish, Potter." Voldemort hissed.

"But I'm alive." Harry said, feeling something appear in his right hand. "And loved." he added as he swung his arm.

He never did see what had appeared in his hand, but had to close his eyes when it connected with the dark lord as a bright red light blinded him, laced with shadows of black.

He felt his arm shake as a strong wind raced around him, blowing his hair as a loud scream filled the air, ringing in Harry's ears until everything went dark once more.


	24. Waking

_Hi folks, thanks for the increased number of reviews this week - it means a lot to know that people are actually reading and enjoying this story. I know I'm using an overused idea, but hoping that its still enjoyable. This chapter is a little short and sweet, but I promise to post again in the next day or so. Hear from you all soon. Kit. xx_

Chapter 24:

Harry groaned as he buried his aching head deeper into the soft pillow it was resting on. His mind felt detached from the rest of his body, as if it were floating some distance away from the bed on which he lay, and his body was battle weary, as if he had just gone ten rounds with Kingsley who had been duelling him the week before.

"Harry?"

He twitched slightly as he heard his name called gently, and fought to return his mind to it's rightful place so he could wake up properly.

"Harry, can you hear me?"

Harry groaned again, trying to tell the voice that he was getting around to it and to be patient, but it was several more minutes before he had collected himself enough to open his eyes.

He found himself lying on his side in a comfortable bed, a thick quilt covering him and keeping him warm, and his head buried deeply in a goose-feather pillow.

He moved slightly, but soon stopped that effort when a pain lanced through his head and chest, causing him to hiss and close his eyes again.

He groaned, this time in frustration as he had to go through the steps once more to return to consciousness. He heard more encouraging words from two voices he knew well, and soon opened his eyes to see Hermione and Ron staring worriedly at him.

"How are you feeling?" Ron asked quietly.

It took Harry several long seconds to register his words and their meanings, and watched as his friends exchanged concerned glances before he managed a small nod.

" 'Kay." he said in a whispery voice.

"You all there?" Ron then asked, sending a small glare at Hermione as she elbowed him. "What? If he isn't then trying to answer that will soon let us know." he said and turned back to Harry, who had now had a small smile on his face.

"I think he's okay?" Hermione said, more of a question that a statement.

Harry nodded, and once more tried to push himself up off the pillow a little.

Once he managed to free his face he looked around the room. It was simply furnished with two beds, one of which he was lying in, and a couple of wardrobes. He sensed a lot of movement outside the open window above his head and looked questioningly at his friends.

"We're in the twins' flat above the shop." Hermione explained. "We didn't want to chance moving you, and they said we could stay here until you came around."

Harry turned his questioning eyes to Ron who answered his next silent question. "The twins promised that you could stay here without telling any of the rest of the Order where we were, providing that you came around before the welcoming feast at Hogwarts. If you didn't wake up by then they were going to tell Mum and McGonagall what was going on."

"When's the feast?" Harry asked, wincing as his voice cracked slightly.

Ron looked at the large watch he had been given for his seventeenth birthday. "In about six hours." he said, "but you don't have to force yourself to make it, as long as you were awake, they said. This means they can't go tattle on us to Mum. Not that they are the sort to rat on us, mind. But you did freak us all out slightly."

"Was it bad?" Harry asked, gratefully sipping through a straw from a glass of water Hermione had just conjured for him.

"You've looked awful for days." Hermione told him. "It was almost as if something was leeching the life out of you. Yesterday was probably the worst though. Ron and I didn't sleep at all last night because we were so worried."

Harry pushed himself so he was upright, weaving slightly as he head felt too light to be attached properly to his neck.

He reached a hand up to feel that the locket had opened, the lock now broken so that the it would no longer shut properly. He winced as his fingers brushed his chest, and pulled aside the top of the pyjama top he was wearing to see an angry, red burn in the middle of his chest.

"We had you lying on your back to start with." Ron explained. "It took us a while to realise that it was still burning you."

"That's why we turned you on your side." Hermione said, "It meant we could place the locket as far away from you as we could. I suggest that when we do get back to Hogwarts we ask Pomfrey for some burn cream. She seldom asks questions, and it might prevent any scarring."

Harry nodded and collapsed back onto the pillow, sighing deeply in the effort it had taken to keep himself upright for those brief minutes.

"You think it's gone?" Harry asked, his voice slightly stronger.

"It opened only a few minutes before you woke up." Hermione said. "I don't know what you've just been through, but it seems as if it's been destroyed."

"It screamed." Ron said. "Started about an hour ago, so loud that we had to cast silencing charms to stop anyone hearing. As soon as the screaming stopped the locket popped open, and a black smoke came out of it."

"It disappeared quick though." Hermione assured Harry, when his eyes opened to look at them again. "But that's another reason why we're so sure it's gone."

Harry closed his eyes wearily, trying hard to muster up any sort of feeling of achievement, but only feeling bone-tired enough to sleep for a week.

He heard the door to the small room open and heard two pairs of footsteps entered. He didn't have to open his eyes to realised the twins had walked in, and didn't even move as they started to talk.

"Look, Ron, we really hate to do this, bro'," one, possibly George, said.

"But we said we'd give you three days without explanation, and this is serious."

Harry could do nothing but agree, he had never heard the twins sound so sombre.

"He has been unconscious for so long, and he looks awful."

"We just thought we'd tell you before we flooed mum to come over and take a look at him."

"There's no need." Ron said. "He woke up a few minutes ago."

"He did?"

Harry couldn't summon the energy to open his eyes this time, so instead waved the fingers on his left hand that was still above the covers.

"Well! Welcome back to the living, Potter-Weasely!" one of them said, sounding a lot more cheerful, and most notably relieved.

"You still look awful though. How are you going to make it to the feast?"

"He probably won't make it." Hermione admitted. "But Ron and I could go show our faces and leave him here for one more night, if that's okay with you two? I'm sure he'll be strong enough in the morning."

Harry felt her tap his hand reassuringly, but he shook his head, regretting the actions as his displaced brain seemed to swim around inside his skull.

"Give me a couple of hours sleep," he croaked. "I'll be fine."

The twins chuckled. "He never knows when he's down, does he?" one of them said.

"We'll leave you one of our energy concoctions for when you wake up." the other said. "It may not make you look any better, but at least you might make it through the feast."

Harry nodded, and shifted onto his side, already drifting away as the others spoke of returning to Hogwarts to fetch their uniforms.


	25. Hogwart's Feast

_Hi again, I have a big thankyou for my dedicated reviewers, Jinawee, Iaveina, Lotrox and Summer-sunrise. It's great to know that some of you look forward to my updates. Of course, if i had more reviews, i might update more often... Leave it with you. Enjoy. xx_

Chapter 25:

Five hours later saw the trio standing outside the gates to Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione had apparated, but Harry had taken up the offer of one of the twin's Safety Pins to portkey him back to the school, unsure if he had the energy in him to apparate safely.

He staggered a little as he reappeared, but Ron was ready to steady him with a small grin.

Harry just rolled his eyes at his friend and stared up at the long trek they had ahead of them.

"You sure you're going to make it?" Hermione asked, not wanting to Harry to get all defensive as he had back at the shop when they were trying to convince him to stay there one more night.

"I'll be fine." Harry stated shortly, and started walking up the path. Even though the energy drink the twins had given him had helped, he knew he needed to conserve as much strength as possible if he was going to make it through the whole of the feast.

"You do look awful though, mate." Ron said, falling in step beside him.

Harry didn't answer, secretly agreeing with his friend. He had seen himself in the mirror as he had washed at the twins flat. His face didn't look dissimilar to those of the dead bodies that had been chasing him in his dreams. His skin had been pale, with dark shadows under his eyes and a blue tinge to his lips and ear lobes. His fingers felt cold and he was struggling to stop shivering as he walked on the reasonably warm and still evening.

"What would everyone say if they saw their hero looking like this …?"

"Enough, Ron." Harry muttered and his friend fell silent. "They'd probably say just as much if I wasn't there at all. Not to mention that McGonagall and Remus would send out an instant search party for me, leading to questions that you know we can't answer. If I'm there, they'll just have to accept what I look like. With all the new students to sort and lesson plans to finalise, it'll probably be a couple of days before they get to ask questions, and by then I'll be fine."

Ron nodded with a loud sigh, and Harry sensed his friend deliberately slowing his stride in order to not tire Harry out. Whilst part of Harry was annoyed at this gesture, another part of him was grateful that his friend was aware of his weakness and was trying to help him.

It took them most of the hour to get up to the school, with Harry needing two rest breaks on the way. As they approached the front doors they noticed the thestral-drawn carriages moving away from the school building.

"We're late." Hermione said, and Harry had to smile a little at the sound mild panic in her voice.

"Not by much." Ron said, "I doubt the first years have been sorted yet."

"Let's hurry then." she said, and leapt up the well-worn stone steps two at a time.

Harry and Ron followed her, coming face to face with a crowd of short wizards and witches, all of whom had turned round at the opening of the front door and were now staring at them with a look of wonder on their faces.

"Potter! Granger! Weasley! You're late!"

Harry and his friends bowed their heads slightly and meekly walked past Madam Hooch as she held open one of the doors to the Great Hall for them.

Harry had to bite back a couple of swear words as the whole hall turned to face them, obviously expecting the first years and instead seeing the trio.

He tried to stand behind Ron as much as possible, but knew that the whispers of his appearance would start long before they made it to the seats Ginny was saving for them.

They made their way along the back of the hall and quickly took their places, Hermione leaning over and quickly whispering in Ginny's ear when she started to stare in shock at her boyfriend's appearance.

The youngest Weasley looked to her friend, then back to Harry who was sat opposite her. She mouthed a question and Harry nodded.

"Just tired." he mouthed back, and even though she still looked concerned, Ginny just reached over the table and gave his fingers a squeeze before turning her attention back to the sorting hat, who was half way through his song.

"_And though we have lost a dearest friend_

_And likely to loose many more,_

_Remember, and learn beneath this roof_

_Just what true friendship may have in store._

_Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw,_

_Slytherin and Gryffindor._

_Stand together, and learn what you can become_

_For once united, this war is won." _

Harry joined the others as they applauded the hat, and wished he had heard the beginning of the song for it must have held more reference to Dumbledore.

As he looked around the hall, Harry was shocked to see a vast number of empty spaces, especially at the Slytherin table. But the lack of students seemed to be counterbalanced by the great increase in teachers sitting at the head table. After scanning the line Harry noted that most of the Order were sat either side of the Head chair, and assumed that McGonagall had posted as many positions for them as possible in order to keep the school safe.

As the sorting started, Harry noticed Remus staring concernedly at him from the staff table. Harry just sent him weak smile and rested his head on one hand. It had began to throb in time with the applause each house was giving to their new recruits and the pain was starting to make him feel sick.

Once the last Ravenclaw was sorted, McGonagall stood up and took her place to give the start of term speech. Harry perked up a little to listen to her words, though was still unable to lift his aching head entirely from his hand.

"Last year, a great many things were brought to light." the new headmistress started. "The return of Lord Voldemort being the most life-changing thing that could effect any one of us." Harry noticed her hesitation when she spoke the Voldemort's name, but silently applauded her for at least trying. "And many things darkened our time here at school. The death of the greatest headmaster to have ever walked the corridors of Hogwarts has effected each and every one of us, and I won't pretend to have the same strength and wisdom that he so willingly shared."

McGonagall hesitated slightly, her gaze resting on Harry's. With a slight smile of support from him she continued, and Harry noted out of the corner of his eye that many Gryffindors and a couple of Ravenclaws had looked to him to see what their headmistress had been gazing at.

"But that is no reason to feel defeated, or scared." she announced in a stronger voice. "Rest assured that, even though Albus Dumbledore is gone, the wards that protect the school are as strong as ever. He gave his life to ensure that we can live our own, and may Merlin himself curse you if any of you don't take that chance with both hands and make as much of the opportunity as you can.

"There is a war on the way." she said, "But the teachers of this school are determined that each and everyone of you will have some say in the outcome of it. However much I hate to include any of you in this, many of you are already entangled in it's web. Many of you have lost loved ones, or know people who have fallen for the Dark Lord's ways. And because of this, you deserve the chance to learn the skills necessary to survive, and to help.

"Our aim this year is to continue as normally as possible. Quidditch will continue, Hogsmeade visits will be run under supervision, and other school clubs will be encouraged. But it is important that you never forget that it is a dangerous world out there at the moment, and equally important that everything you learn this year may have direct consequences to whether or not you and your friends will survive this war.

"Somewhat against the Ministry's wishes, lesson plans this year have been more focused to skills that will benefit you and your families during this time. Remus Lupin has returned to teach Defence Against the Dark Arts …"

She raised an arm to Remus as he stood and nodded to the students, and a loud applause erupted from the older students who had been taught under him.

" …With the assistance of several Ministry trained Aurors." she added, indicating Moody and Tonks who sat at the end of the table.

"And in addition to your usual lessons we are also introducing several extra-curricular classes that not only will teach you valuable, real-life skills, but will also count towards extra credits for your OWLs and NEWTs."

She once more turned to the staff table. "For Sixth years and above, I introduce Bill and Fleur Weasley, who will be running extra classes on wards and curse breaking.

"For younger years, Madam Pomfrey has agreed to run basic healer tutorials.

"And for fourth years and above, Harry Potter has agreed to continue his practical defence classes."

The cheer that sounded at the last announcement made Harry's chest swell with pride, and he saw many of the old DA waving at him excitedly.

"These groups will be open to all houses," McGonagall said, particularly to those still sitting at the Slytherin table. "And enrolment lists are hanging in every common room."

She cast her eyes over her student body, pleased that she saw many eager faces and whispered conversations going on. "Finally, in addition to the usual rules and regulations that this school runs by, I will stress that no student is to leave the school grounds, that includes visiting the Forbidden Forest, and is not to be out of their common rooms after curfew. There will be nightly patrols in the school and there are several more safety measures that will be put in place as the year continues. I promise you that things will run as normal as possible for as long as they can. But Voldemort has several reasons for wanting Hogwarts to fall, and I trust that, should the time require it, each and every one of you will obey our orders without question, and make us all proud by staying safe."

The hall fell silent after her words, and McGonagall let the weighty silence press on all the students.

"But enough of depressing talk." she said, with a small smile on her face. "Enjoy the feast."


	26. Dreams vs Reality

Chapter 26:

"So what happened?" Ginny asked across the table as the food appeared in front of them.

Ron immediately started piling his plate, but one look at the dishes in front of him made Harry's head throb even more and his stomach lurch. He pushed his plate away and picked up a goblet of water.

"I acted a little foolishly." Harry said, ignoring Hermione's little snort of agreement. "But what's done is done, and we're one step closer to finishing this."

Ginny frowned slightly, obviously trying to work out what they were doing from Harry's words, but with no further clues she resorted to eating her own meal.

"Are you not hungry, Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "My head is throbbing." he admitted.

"Your scar?" Ginny asked, but Harry shook his head.

"I must have the beginnings of a migraine or something." he said, sending a glance to Hermione to indicate this was the excuse they would use from now on until he had recovered.

"You do look awful, Harry." Neville said, from where he sat next to Ginny. "Why don't you go see Madame Pomfrey after dinner?"

"Harry? Voluntarily go and visit the hospital wing?" Ron laughed, but stopped and swore as a potato fell off his fork and onto his plate, spraying gravy onto his uniform.

Harry chuckled slightly as well, and rested his head in both hands.

"You should really try eating something, Harry." Hermione said, but Harry just shook his head.

"You can force feed me in the morning." he promised. "Just give me tonight to get over this headache."

He heard Hermione sigh, and looked up at her through his fingers, wincing as even the movement of his eyes sent shards of glass into his brain.

"So what NEWTs are you taking, Harry?" Seamus asked. "I heard that you weren't coming back to Hogwarts, what changed your mind?"

"I'm not taking my NEWTs, Seamus." Harry said, glancing up at his friends. Neville and Luna had already heard about Harry's special lessons when they had visited at the end of the summer, and had evidently stayed true to their words and not said anything about it.

"Then what are you doing here?" Dean asked. "Surely you're not here just to teach us Defence?"

Harry shook his head, leaning back slightly and trying to straighten his stiff back. "I'm going to be training, hard." he said. "It seems that Voldemort has some sort of obsession with me, probably because through whatever form of luck I have, he hasn't managed to kill me yet. McGonagall and the others think that he won't be able to let that little nugget of information escape from his mind, and his desire to prove that nothing can stop him will probably prove rather bad for my health if I don't do something pro-active against it."

"So you're going to fight him?" Lavender asked, her eyes wide and a hand in front of her mouth in shock.

Harry shook his head. "Not if I can help it." he told her. "But I'm not going to run either. McGonagall has organised some lessons for me that might help me survive, and what I learn in those lessons will get passed onto you lot in the DA classes I hold."

"I wouldn't want to be in your shoes." Seamus said and Harry looked at him through his building headache, one eyebrow raised.

"Many don't even want to be around me." he muttered and picked up a spoon, sticking it in a gravy boat and swirling it around.

"Now where did you get that stupid idea?" Ginny asked, but was even more shocked by Ron and Hermione's reactions, as they had both raised their wands and were now pointing them at Harry's head.

"What are you playing at?" Harry asked, pushing himself to his feet and staggering away from the bench, his own wand raised in defence.

Hermione and Ron stood up as he did, but let their wands drop slightly. "Sorry, mate." Ron said. "It was Moody's idea."

"He told us to hex you if you ever got that isolation attitude again." Hermione explained. "Count that as your first warning, as you aren't well enough for a real punishment. Next time we'll really let fly!"

Ginny smirked at the disbelieving look on Harry's face as his two friends sat back down and continued eating as if nothing had happened. He looked up to the head table and saw Moody's scarred face grinning at him. The retired Auror raised his glass to Harry and took a sip, and the younger man swore that he would teach his mentor a thing or two in their next duelling lesson.

He sat back down, trying hard to ignore the looks the other students were giving him and once more went to put his aching head into his hands.

As his hands came closer to his face, however, Harry noticed something on the palm of his right hand. On closer examination he saw a thick white scar running across it, and his breath froze as he realised the implications of what he saw.

"Where did this come from?" he asked Ron urgently, trying not to let the neighbouring students hear him.

"Where did what come from?" Ron asked, and looked as Harry pointed out his scar. He shrugged slightly. "An old potions accident?" he suggested. "Maybe you cut yourself with knife at some point?"

Harry shook his head. "Don't you think I would've noticed?" he asked, running his finger along the scar. "It's a deep one, it would've bled lots."

A sudden thought came to mind and he started pulling his cloak from around his shoulders, stopping when he noticed the odd looks his fellow students were giving him.

"I know you didn't want much attention, Harry." Hermione hurriedly said in a low voice. "But taking your clothes off in the middle of the hall isn't going to help any."

Harry shrugged his cloak back on, and with an apologetic look to his friends, stood up and headed to the hall entrance.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked once she, Ron and Ginny had caught up with him.

Harry didn't respond, and instead pushed open the door to the nearest boy's toilet and stepped inside.

Ron shrugged at his two female friends, still chewing on his last mouthful, and followed, frowning as he found Harry pulling his cloak off and undoing the buttons to his school shirt.

"What's going on, Harry?" he asked as he watched his friend pull his left arm out of it's sleeve and examine his shoulder in the mirror.

"This!" Harry exclaimed, pointing at a jagged scar that ran across his upper arm. "I was given this in that dream the locket stuck me in. Aunt Petunia attacked me with a broken plate and cut me here and here." he pointed at the palm of his hand.

"But it was all just a vision." Ron said, running his thumb over the scar on Harry's shoulder. He could feel the slight raised ridge of the scar and knew that it wasn't fake. "There was no blood when you were out of it. And there's no way the scars would look like that so soon without some sort of healing charm."

"Tell that to my scars." Harry said, turning and watched his reflection as he once more poked the one on his shoulder.

"Why did she attack you?" Ron asked, slightly hesitant. Harry had been unwilling to answer their questions about what he remembered from fighting the Horcrux earlier that day, but he felt it couldn't hurt to ask.

"They were all Inferi." Harry said, leaning heavily on the sink, still half undressed and staring at himself in the mirror. "_You_ were all inferi."

"Who?"

"Everyone I cared about." Harry said. "It started off with the Dursley's, but when they started attacking I ran away, and then you and Hermione and Ginny were there. And Sirius, with my mum and dad." he took a deep breath to steady himself. "You were all dead, and wouldn't stop trying to grab me."

"What did you do?"

Harry looked up at his friend. "I killed you all." he said, then contradicted himself. "Rather, I defended myself with a burning branch…" he looked down at his right hand and saw very faint burn marks around his wrist and lower arm. "You were already dead, so I guess I couldn't have killed you again."

"Is that when the locket opened?"

Harry shook his head and frowned slightly. "Voldemort was there." he said, remembering the taunts of the dark wizard. "I guess the locket opened when I defeated him."

"How did you do that?" Ron asked.

"I don't really remember." He looked up at his friend. "Please don't tell Hermione about this." he asked.

"Why on earth not?" Ron asked. "If we're going to be helping with the next horcruxes, surely we ought to have some sort of idea what we're up against?"

Harry sighed and looked at himself in the mirror again. Some colour had returned to his lips and face, but the dark circles under his eyes still made it look like he had been in some sort of fist fight.

"Let's get to bed." he said, turning away from the image. "I could do with a good night's sleep."

Ron nodded, and helped his friend back into his robes before following him slowly out of the toilets, shaking his head slightly to Hermione and Ginny as they made their way up to the Gryffindor tower.


	27. Fun and Frustrations

Chapter 27:

"Why can't I bloody do it?" Harry asked, feeling frustrated enough to throw his wand across the room.

Remus, Tonks, Ron, Hermione and Ginny stood at the end of the classroom, leaning against a couple of tables that had been pushed to the side of the room and watched as Harry paced angrily, gripping his wand fiercely and swearing at his inability to perform non-verbal spells.

"Don't take it so hard, Harry." Remus said, "Not everyone is able to do it straight off."

"But I was trying all last year, and over the summer. Even Ginny can do it for Merlin's sake."

"Hey!" Ginny said, uncrossing her arms and standing up straight. "I wouldn't say I could do it properly yet. That book only flipped over, hardly the outcome of a proper Wingardium Leviosa!"

Harry frowned. "Still a damn slight more than I can do." He muttered, walking to the window and leaning against the stone ledge to look out at the afternoon sunshine. "With all these random changes that have happened to me this summer, you would've thought that this would be easy."

"Have you ever thought you're just trying too hard?" Hermione suggested a little tentatively. She paused a little, and when Harry made no response she continued. "I mean, you've always found things come naturally to you when you least think about it. That's what has kept you alive this long isn't it? Maybe if you don't stress so much about it, it will suddenly happen?"

"I think she might have a point, Harry." Tonks said when he didn't respond. "You do tend to drag up the most impressive magic when not really thinking about it."

They looked at the hunched shoulders of the boy-who-lived and glanced at each other with concern.

"Why is this so important to you anyway?" Remus asked softly walking up to stand next to the younger man. "Your magic has come leaps and bounds this summer. The amount that you have learnt this past month probably outweighs all that you have learnt in all your previous years at school here."

Harry shook his head, and Remus was shocked to see tears of frustration in his eyes. "I just have to do it." he said.

"If this is to make you feel more powerful, then I'd tell you not let it get to you." Remus advised. "If you did then you'll follow many wizards that have gone down the wrong route …"

"It was something that Snape made me realise when he was running from Hogwarts after killing Dumbledore." Harry said. "He told me that I'd always lose if I couldn't keep my mouth shut and my mind closed. I have no chance in keeping my mind closed, not now there's no one to teach me occlumency. And how am I going to defeat the most powerful wizard of all time if I don't have some sort of advantage?"

"Who said you had to be the one to do it?" Remus asked.

Harry just looked up at him and Remus saw the acceptance in his eyes. It was clear that Harry felt it was his duty and nothing would deter him otherwise.

"You'll get it." he assured him, placing a fatherly hand on his shoulder. "Just don't force it. It'll come in it's own time."

"What if it doesn't?" Harry asked quietly. "What if I …" he broke off and looked back out the window. He heard the gently click of the classroom door shut and figured that his friends had left to give him some privacy with the only parental figure he had left.

"There is no place in this world for doubting yourself." Remus said gently.

He sighed deeply, thinking of the right thing to say, then spoke, joining Harry as he gazed out the window.

"When I was a child, just after I had been bitten by Fenrir, my parents were almost as devastated as I was. They feared that I would never be accepted into a place such as Hogwarts with my condition. And worried that I would be forced to live as a muggle and unable to live my life as a wizard.

"So my dad started to train me. Nothing like what we're doing here." he assured Harry when he noticed the raven-haired boy glance out the corner of his eye. "But he taught me whatever he thought I would enjoy to learn, keeping my spirits up even when I felt my worst, knowing that my enthusiasm for learning was likely to be the only thing that would prevent me from turning into a beast like the one that bit me."

"And Dumbledore let you into the school." Harry said when Remus briefly fell silent. "Even planted the Whomping Willow to ensure that you, and the rest of the students remained safe."

Remus nodded, casting his mind back to the day Dumbledore had come to visit his parents house. "He came to insist that I attend, actually." Remus said. "As I grew older my changes became more painful. More maddening. My parents and I concluded that they would only get worse and we decided that Hogwarts just wouldn't be possible. Dumbledore came to convince us otherwise and just like you I was full of doubt. Of what would happen if I couldn't complete my homework, or if I fell behind in my studies, or wasn't able to control the beast inside me. He told me something that I think you would benefit from if you believe it enough. And that is that there is no '_what if_' in terms of what a person can achieve, rather there is a '_when I can_' or '_if I try hard enough I could_'. Never think the negative as it will get you no-where. Set your sights on something and strive to achieve it, no matter how far out of reach it seems. You may even surprise yourself with what happens."

Harry could see what Remus was trying to do with this life lesson, but every time he thought of the future all he could see was the glowing red eyes of Lord Voldemort staring at him, with his pale face surrounded by darkness and his lipless mouth open wide in mocking laughter. And the heavy weight of "what if's" were pressing more onto his shoulders every time he thought about _what_ the future would bring _if_ he was unable to defeat him.

The end of lesson bell sounded through the castle and Harry figured his friends would have gone on to their next lesson. He sighed a little and once more concentrated on the scene out of the window

"So, what did you think of the Potter place?" Remus asked, breaking into his thoughts.

Harry looked at him, blinking slightly with the sudden change of subject. "It was nice." he said with a small smile. "We only just noticed the path leading from the church, and then we saw the gate. Ron said that someone had probably kept it for me, not selling it on or anything, and so we went in." he froze a little, remembering the mix of emotions he had felt when he had walked through the front door and seen his childhood home, where his father had been killed and mother murdered.

"I would like to go back there sometime." he concluded. "Fix it up. Maybe make it my own."

Remus nodded with a smile. "And what about the manor?" he asked. "Did you get much of a chance to explore that?"

Harry looked at him blankly. "Manor?" he asked.

Remus' smile froze. "You didn't see Potter manor?" he asked and Harry shook his head.

"Where was it?" he asked.

"It's just behind your parents house. They moved in when they got married, but your grandparents continued to live in the main manor house until they died. As far as I'm aware its still being maintained by a couple of house elves until the time you go to claim it."

Harry just looked blankly at his father's friend. "I own a manor?" he asked.

Remus nodded. "I'm guessing you inherited it when you came of age and I suspect that Dumbledore was supposed to be the executer of that part of the will. Maybe we can get Bill to look it up next time he's at work?"

Harry nodded. "What happened to my grandparents?" he asked. "And the rest of my family for that matter? Surely my father had aunts, uncles and cousins?"

Remus shook his head. "Most of the Potter family died early in the first war." he said sadly. "Most worked for the ministry, or with the aurors. The Potters were well respected, but also big fighters against pureblood supremacy. When Voldemort rose for the first time they were the main targets from the start."

"How did my grandparents die?" Harry asked.

Remus turned and rested against the wall next to the window. "They survived right until the end of the that first war." he said. "You know Sirius ran away from home and went to stay with them and your father? Well, he actually stayed in that house even longer than James did, taking his place as their live-in son when your dad got married to your mum and moved into their own private little home on the outskirts of the land. They died not long after your first birthday. Voldemort targeted their house in the attempt of finding you and your parents but by then you were in hiding and couldn't be found. The alarm was raised when the house was attacked but we all arrived too late. Their funeral was the last time I saw your parents alive."

The two of them fell into silence, each thinking their own thoughts. Harry remembered the Mirror of Erised and large number of relatives that had surround him and his parents. If Voldemort hadn't existed, chances were that he'd be enjoying himself in the company of a large, well-off and respected wizarding family. He briefly wondered if he would still been the same Harry as he was now, and whether or not his parents would be proud of him. He smiled grimly to himself as he realised he was running through "what if's" again.

"Come on, Harry" Remus said finally, breaking the silence. "Let's get outside and get some fresh air, you've been cooped up in this room all afternoon. It isn't right for a lad your age."

Harry sighed and allowed himself to be led out into the sunshine. Tonks was sitting on the front steps of the school, leaning back on her arms with her head raised to the sunshine and her purple hair blowing gently in the breeze.

Harry watched as Remus smiled a soft smile, and walked over before squatting down and planting a small kiss on her forehead.

"Hey, you're blocking my sunlight." Tonks protested, swatting at his face with a hand. She looked over his shoulder and spotted Harry. "Feeling better, kiddo?" she asked.

Harry shrugged and walked a little closer, but not wanting to impose himself on the couple.

Tonks continued to look at him with a thoughtful expression on her face before turning to Remus. "What day is it?" she asked.

"Friday." her partner replied.

Tonks nodded, and a smile began to play at the corner of her lips and she pulled Remus' face closer to hers and started whispering in his ear.

Harry blushed slightly and turned away, feeling increasingly awkward in the silence that followed. Eventually Remus pulled away and with a quick kiss stood up and walked away from Tonks. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and when the boy looked at him said. "I'll be back in a minute. Don't go anywhere."

Harry looked after him in confusion as his father's friend walked back into the school building and then his gaze moved to Tonks who patted the step next to her, indicating that he should sit down.

Harry took his place and wondered briefly what was going on.

"Isn't it a lovely day!" Tonks exclaimed, her hair suddenly developing yellow spots.

"What are you planning?" Harry asked suspiciously.

Tonks looked shocked and placed a hand on her chest. "Moi?" she asked.

Harry just returned her gaze until the auror broke. "How did you know?"

"Other than the fact that you were whispering in Remus' ear moments before he rushed off?" Harry asked. "Easy. When you plan something your hair always goes spotty."

Tonks raised her hand to her hair, but with no way to be able to see its colour because of it's length she just laughed. "I never realised I did that." she said. "No wonder why Remus didn't trust me around his birthday."

Harry just smiled as she grinned at him. "We're just planning a bit of fun this evening, is all." she said. "The Gryffindor trio has been working hard this past month, and I don't think I've seen you smile properly since the welcoming feast when you looked like death warmed up." she glanced at Harry, about to verbalise a question when he interrupted.

"I'm still not going to tell you." he said. "What happened that weekend stays between Ron, Hermione and myself. At least for the moment."

Tonks nodded. "Can't blame a girl for trying." she said. Harry could sense that she was going to continue with the usual "we're worried about you and can help" speech but was grateful when the brightly-coloured haired witch restrained herself.

"You'll tell us when you're good and ready." she said quietly.

Harry nodded, "So what are you and Remus planning?" he asked again.

"Nothing spectacular" she replied, sitting up and brushing her hands off. "He's just gone to invite the twins over, and we figured we'd just have a bit of fun in the sun this evening. The weather is due to turn this weekend and I suspect that summer will be over for good. This maybe one of the last chances we get to enjoy ourselves out here."

Harry nodded, once more fighting back the thought of "last chance". It seemed as if everything was the last at the moment; the last summer night, the last welcoming feast, the last day of peace before Voldemort might come knocking at their door.

Soon he found himself being pulled to his feet by Tonks and allowed himself to be distracted by a football that slowly bounced down the stone steps next to them. He looked up to see Remus standing there. He had removed his robes and was wearing a t-shirt and loose trousers.

"Muggle football?" Harry asked, a little disbelievingly as Tonks bent to pick up the soccer ball.

Remus shrugged. "Not everyone is as good on a broom as you, Harry." he said. "I figured we could get more people playing this way."

Harry watched as Tonks started pratting around with the ball, bouncing it on her knee and trying to keep it under control.

"I don't think I've ever played a proper game." he said. "I was never picked for the teams at school because of Dudley."

"Good job that this isn't going to be a professional game then." Tonks said, kicking the ball towards Harry who deflected it off his chest before chasing it down a couple of stairs and booting it back. Within minutes the three of them were laughingly chasing the ball around, and within the half hour more students joined them as their classes finished. Dean soon took charge, being muggle-born and an avid football supporter, splitting the students that were playing into mixed teams and piling a few jumpers up to act as goals.

Even though the wizard-born students were a little confused, they soon learnt to enjoy the game. And once the twins turned up, chaos ensued as they introduced another two footballs into the match. One which shouted abuse at the players when it was kicked to hard, and the other which turned and raced off in the opposite direction to the one it was kicked in.

It was late evening before the sky began to cloud over, and the sweaty but smiling players traipsed back into the castle to shower before dinner, joking about various tackles and goals that had been scored. The Gryffindor boys were groaning by the time they had reached their dormitory, trying to curb Dean's enthusiasm of creating a Hogwarts inter-house football league to run alongside the Quidditch games.

Harry just laughed as he headed to the shower, ignoring Dean as he skipped alongside him, trying to convince him to become striker on a trial team.

"I think I'll stick to my flying." Ron said, pushing past the two of them and jumping into the shower first, shutting the door in Harry's face who frowned at the wooden door before turning his attention to the sink. "It's too much like hard work, all that running around!" he called out over the door as the sound of rushing water was heard.

"Your mum always said that magic was the greatest cause of laziness in wizards." Harry said and his pushed back his sweaty bangs and ran his finger over his scar before removing his glasses and splashing cold water on his face.

"But think about it Harry." Dean said, hovering around Harry as he waited for the shower. "You'd make a great striker. And you know enough to be able to help me with practises. And if we get the league sorted then I could come back next year to help with training and organisation. It would be great…"

Harry just shook his head. "I've got enough on my plate at the moment, Dean." he said regretfully. "Besides, I enjoy playing streaker in Quidditch. It gives me a sense of …" he frowned as Dean started laughing. He heard Neville and Seamus also laughing as they came to the bathroom door and before long he heard Ron laughing from behind the shower door as well.

"What did I say?" he asked, confused.

"Was that supposed to be Striker or Seeker?" Neville asked between hiccups.

Harry thought about what he had said for a while, then realised that he had confused the two words, ending up combining them. He laughed as well as he realised what the combination must've been.

"Well, that would get my face of the front page of the prophet again." he said with a grin.

"Too right." Dean said, "and that would be perfect publicity to promote the new wizarding football league…"


	28. Back to the Hunt

Chapter 28:

"I think it's time to go hunting again." Harry said seriously as he sat with Ron and Hermione in his training room, going over various spells that he was going to teach to the others in the DA later that evening.

Ron and Hermione stopped what they were doing and looked up at him with baited breath. It was the beginning of December now, and both friends had sensed the restlessness that had surrounded Harry for the past couple of weeks.

"Where do you think we should look?" Hermione asked.

Harry thought a moment, going over the conclusions that had been swimming around in his mind for the past month or so. "The orphanage." he said finally. "I understand that most of us would see it as a place that you would want to forget, but Tom did find out about his heritage there. And he was practising controlling his "gifts" from an early age. We may see it as a horrid place but he had power there. It wouldn't hurt to have a look."

Hermione nodded and pulled out the book she had been recording their horcrux thoughts in over the summer. She muttered a small charm and tapped the cover with her wand, allowing her to open the book. She flipped to the middle and started searching for the page that held the information they had found out about Riddle's former home.

"From the enrolment lists in the Hogwart's library, it says here that Riddle's orphange was somewhere near London."

"Did we get around to searching out the names of orphanages in the area?" Harry asked and Hermione thought for a moment before nodding. She flipped forward a couple of pages and pointed at a note half way down the right hand side page.

"I think it's here." she said.

Harry nodded. "Fancy trying it this weekend?" he asked, and his friends glanced at each other before nodding.

"Here we go again." Ron muttered.

"Yeah," Harry said, matching his friend's enthusiasm. "But it has to be done. We've not done much hunting these past few weeks and I'm thinking that we really should get our focus back."

Hermione nodded. "It's not like we haven't achieved anything though." she said. "The DA is performing well, we've learnt so much with our extra defence lessons with Kingsley and Bill, and the whole school is so prepared with all those drills that McGonagall's been running that if Voldemort was to attack tomorrow, I doubt anyone would get hurt."

"But he's not exactly been busy either, has he?" Ron said.

Hermione and Harry both nodded. There had been nothing in the papers for the past month to indicate that Voldemort was active. There had been several attacks by his followers, but nothing substantial enough to have been ordered from the top.

"He must be planning something." Harry said. "Maybe he's just leading us into a false sense of security before trying to hit us hard."

"The school?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know." he admitted. "It could be the first thing he'd want to take, as the place holds great memories for him, as well as the bonus that I'm here. On the other hand, he knows that it will be the greatest challenge for him. He may think it wiser to go for the ministry or the larger wizard communities first, increase their level of fear and try to destroy all hope and then attack us when we're feeling low."

"Either way, we ought to get on with this hunt." Hermione agreed, gathering her books together into one pile. "We don't know when he's going to come. The only guarantee is that he _will_ come. So we'd better be ready for him."

Harry glanced at his watch and started packing his belongings also. It was nearly time to go and set up the room of requirement for the DA meeting.

"If we assume that the next horcrux is Hufflepuff's cup that he stole whilst he worked in Knockturn Alley, any idea's on what the one after that could be?" he asked as they left the training room.

"I'd wager it was something to do with Ravenclaw." Hermione said. "but other than a few books that she's written, there isn't anything of her's left in existence according to all the research I've done."

"What about that crown thing?" Ron asked. "I remember seeing a picture of her wearing a crown-type thing."

"A diadem, Ron." Hermione corrected him. "And it was lost centuries ago."

"What if Voldemort found it?" he asked.

"Wizard's have been hunting for it for hundreds of years. I know that Voldemort is a stronger wizard than most, but the chances of him finding it when no one else has is somewhat slim."

"What about Gryffindor?" Harry asked. "We haven't found anything from him yet."

"I got the impression that Old Mouldy never really got along with Gryffindor's" Ron said.

"But he did idolise the Hogwarts four." Harry pointed out.

Hermione surprised both the boys by letting out a growl. "This is so frustrating." she apologised. "It could be anything from such a large number of sources. He could've used his favourite broom from when he was a student, a book, a medal…"

Harry froze and looked at her. "An award for services to the school?" he suggested quietly.

The trio stared at each other for what seemed an ago before Hermione broke the silence. "Didn't he get that the time the Chamber of Secrets was opened the first time?"

Ron nodded. "He received it after snitching on Hagrid and his pet spider. He was the reason that Hagrid was expelled from school."

"And the award is still downstairs in the trophy room." Harry said, striding off down the hallway.

It only took them a couple of minutes to arrive breathlessly at the trophy room. Harry walked straight past the dusty cabinets holding the Quidditch trophies and started searching those that were awarded for various educational achievements and started running his eyes over their names.

"Over here, Harry." Ron said, pointing at a plaque in a cabinet on the right.

"How did you find it so quickly?" Hermione asked, polishing the front of the cabinet with a flick of her wand.

"I had to polish them all back in the second year, remember?" Ron said, and glanced around the room. "And it doesn't look like they've been done since."

"Are there any alarms on these?" Harry asked, placing his fingers against the glass, but not feeling any magic surrounding the cabinet.

"I don't think so." Ron said.

"They probably assume that Hogwarts students will have some sort of respect for their heritage." Hermione said. "I don't think anyone would think of stealing any of these."

"Which means Voldemort would have easy access." Ron said excitedly.

"But when would he have been able to get in to create it?" Hermione asked. "According to the memories Harry talked to us about, he was still pretty human when he left Hogwarts, and as far as Dumbledore was aware he didn't come back."

"Except for the time when he came to apply for the DADA position." Harry reminded her. "Dumbledore knew he didn't really expect to be accepted for the job, but just assumed it was Voldemort's way of giving him a last chance to hand over Hogwarts without turning nasty."

"So you think he turned the trophy into a horcrux then?" Ron said. "Do you think he actually had time?"

"We don't even know if this is a horcrux yet." Hermione said and pulled out her wand. With a silent flick, and a quick apologetic look to Harry who still hadn't mastered the art of non-verbal spells, the glass at the front of the cabinet disappeared.

Harry reached forward and tentatively brushed his fingers against the wooden plaque that had Tom Riddle's name engraved on it.

With a sharp exhalation of breath, he grabbed the trophy with his right hand. "Nothing." he said, indicating the lack of pain in his fingers that he had experienced when he had handled the last horcrux. "If he did hide a horcrux in Hogwarts, it's not this."

"It was worth the try though, mate." Ron said.

"As will the trip to the orphanage this weekend." Hermione said. "We'd better get to the DA meeting. Everyone will be wondering where we are."

Harry nodded, disappointedly placing the trophy back on the cabinet shelf and watched jealously as Hermione silently replaced the glass front.

He growled under his breath and led the way out of the trophy room.

"Harry!" Hermione called after him as he stormed off.

"Hey mate, what's the rush?"

Harry spun around with a sharp retort on the tip of his tongue, but as he saw his friends coming to a sharp halt just behind him he bit back his answer.

"I'm sorry." he said. "It just feels like we haven't progressed with anything for so long."

"You mean that you still haven't mastered silent spell work." Hermione said pointedly.

Harry looked at her, then just rolled his eyes. "I think I've just been holding off searching for the horcruxes until I managed the skill." he said. "And now realised that I've been wasting time. We should've gone to the orphanage a long time ago."

"But we'll go this weekend." Hermione promised. "For the moment let's get to the DA session shall we? You promised to teach everyone the disillusion charm today."

Harry nodded, and followed his two friends up the stairs to the room of requirement.


	29. The Orphanage

Sorry about the delay folks. Life took full control these past couple of weeks so i updated two chapters to attempt to keep you all happy! Kit. xxx

Chapter 29:

"It's down here on the right." Harry said, leading the way down the wide street.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked, trusting Ron's footsteps as she followed close behind them, her face hidden behind a large copy of the map she had found in the local library. "It says here that the orphanage is on the left."

She looked up and pointed to a red-brick building which had a small wall running around a single, well preserved flower bed.

Harry glanced at the brass plaque nailed next to the door as he passed and hesitated, spying the name of their destination upon it. "What the…?"

"See," Hermione said, folding up her map. "Just where I said!"

Harry shook his head and looked up at the tall building. "But it looks nothing like Riddle's orphanage." he said.

Ron glanced around them as they stood on the pavement. "Looks like the whole area has been done up recently." he observed, and gestured to a recently paved play park across the road. "I'm sure they didn't have anything like that back in Riddle's day."

"Riddle's day…" Harry repeated, taking a look at the park before glancing back at the sign and a look of understanding replacing his previous look of confusion.

"Hermione, when would you say Tom went to this orphanage?" he asked.

She shrugged slightly, "I can't remember the exact dates." she said. "But I guess it must have been just after the time of the great wars. Why?"

"Exactly." Harry said triumphantly. "This isn't the right orphanage." He turned and started walking down the street again.

"How do you know that for sure?" Hermione asked, taking long strides to catch up. "Maybe they extended, or even rebuilt the whole building…"

"Rebuilt." Harry confirmed. "The door plaque said that the building had been erected to replace the old orphanage in 1982. Which means we're still looking for the original orphanage."

"Wouldn't they have just built the new one on top of the old one?" Ron asked.

"I doubt Old Mouldy would have let muggles get away with something as simple as knocking down a building that meant so much to him." Harry said.

He stopped again and pointed to a dirty little building that was stuck between a local shop and the entrance to a public toilet. "There it is."

"Don't you think muggles would've found it odd that they couldn't knock down that building when they built the new ones around it?" Ron mused.

"I imagine they couldn't" Hermione said in wonder. "Much like the Leaky Cauldron, muggles are probably no longer aware that it even exists."

"Which means there is a good possibility that Voldemort added the notice-me-not charms to protect something very valuable inside." Harry added excitedly as they walked up to the building.

"Great." Ron said unenthusiastically. "You must be the only person alive that gets excited with the prospect of meeting part of Voldemort's soul face-to-face."

"No. It just means that we are one step closer to finishing this." Harry said seriously.

Ron hung his head slightly. "Fair enough." he said. "So, how do we get in?"

Harry looked at his friend and with a small smirk raised his hand to the door handle, gave it a twist and pushed open the door.

Ron spluttered a little as Harry gave a mock bow and invited him to walk in first. "It shouldn't be that easy." Ron muttered, stepping through the door tentatively.

"I doubt the rest will be." Hermione said as followed him into the dark and dusty corridor.

Large cobwebs that hung in the corners moved in the light breeze that blew in from the outdoors, pushing its way through the staleness almost as if it were trying to bring the building back to life.

The three friends moved as one further into the building, and spun with wands drawn as the front door slammed behind them, effectively returning the orphanage back to its undisturbed state.

"They actually allowed children to stay in a place like this?" Hermione asked, squinting into the shadows to look at the filthy décor.

"I imagine it was a lot cleaner when it was open." Ron said with a small smile.

"I wouldn't be so sure…" she replied, returning his weak smile.

"I may not have a lot to thank the Dursley's for." Harry spoke out. "But if Dumbledore had left me on the steps of a place like this, I'd have been even more like Voldemort, and most likely be standing at his side this very moment."

Silence fell upon the threesome as they digested his words, each imagining their possible fate should Harry have been tempted towards the dark side.

Their silence was interrupted by Ron's hand falling firmly onto Harry's shoulder as he faced away from them. "That would've never happened, Harry." he said.

"Because of my innate goodness? Because I'm "the Chosen One"? Or the false hope that I'm the one chance the world has of returning to some semblance of peace?" Harry asked bitterly.

"Nah," Ron said. "Because every bad guy needs a good guy to beat him. And I can't be bothered to play hero today!"

Harry didn't say anything, just kept his back to his friends and ignored Ron's attempt at lightening the atmosphere as he stared up the dark stairs that led up to the next floor.

Hermione met Ron's eyes and gave him a small smile at his failed attempt. "So, where do we start?" she said quietly, her voice sounding heavy in the gloom.

"His room." Harry replied with no hesitation and without even a glance at his two friends started walking up the stairs, the old unmaintained floorboards groaning in protest at his added weight.

As Harry led them up several flights of stairs, they passed halls that had peeling wallpaper instead of paintings or portraits. Small, dark creatures scurried out of sight at every corner they turned. Ron started to say they should only be worried if they slithered instead of crawled, but Hermione gently shushed him, her attention drawn to Harry's uncharacteristic focus on the task ahead.

He levelled out after passing three floors and hesitated slightly before taking a left turn and walking cautiously down what must have been the gloomiest corridor of them all.

All the windows that lined one side of the walkway were covered with broken black blinds, and the light that did manage to break through from outside threw columns of dusty rays that cut through the darkness. Even though this was a sharp contrast to the darkness, the light itself was darkened by a thick film of dirt over each pane of glass, adding to the eerie and foreboding atmosphere.

Half way down the corridor, Harry halted, causing his friends to stop behind him, one standing at each shoulder.

He turned his head to the left and nodded at the closed door.

"It's in there." he said.

"You sure?" Ron asked nervously, glancing up and down the corridor. "It could be any of these freaky-looking doors on this corridor. Why does it have to be this one?"

"I've been here before." Harry reminded him. "In Dumbledore's memories. Besides, I think the snake gives it away."

He pointed at a painting of a green snake on one of the panels of the door that could only have been produced by a small child. It's unpractised colouring and large triangular patterns on its scales gave it almost a cartoon look, though most of the artist's attention had been evidently given to the sketching of the snake's eyes. Faint pencil marks that had been erased out several times before the final lines had been inked in gave the snake shadows around its eyes that almost made you believe it was real.

"You don't think he has used this picture as some sort of guard do you?" Hermione asked quietly.

Harry cocked his head slightly to one side as he swore the gaze of the child's picture moved to Hermione's face as she spoke.

"No" Harry said. "But I do believe it is here to grant or deny us access to the room."

He bowed his head at the picture, and concentrating on the mental image of a proper snake hissed. "_Greetings_." in parseltongue.

He raised his gaze once again to meet that of the drawing.

"What did you say?" Ron asked. "Did it work?"

Harry closed his eyes briefly, once more picturing the snake before hissing "_Open_".

Almost instantly there was a sharp click and the door opened itself, creaking open barely an inch before stopping.

"_Thanks_." Harry hissed, before placing a hand on the door, his other gripping his wand tightly and pushing the door open with a firm shove. "I don't think it was designed to talk back." he explained as he entered the room.

Inside the room was pretty much how Harry remembered it. A dusty window embedded the wall opposite the small cot, beside which stood a bedside table with a single drawer. The only other piece of furniture in the room was a wooden cupboard against the wall opposite the door, almost inviting any curious intruder to walk straight across the room to investigate.

"When Dumbledore showed me his memories of meeting Riddle here, he used magic on the cupboard to prove that he was a real wizard." Harry said. "It must've been the turning point of Tom's life, finally knowing that he _was_ different, but not in a bad way."

"Hence you've been so certain there was a horcrux here." Hermione confirmed, repeating Harry's reasoning from their discussions during the summer.

"But if Dumbledore know this place was important for Voldemort, why didn't he come searching for the horcrux sooner?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged, casting his eyes around the doorframe in case there were any obvious traps before stepping into the bedroom. "I guess he wanted to locate the harder ones first." he said. "He probably wanted to make this job easier for us should he not be around to help. Or maybe he really thought that this place may have been a sign of weakness for Voldemort. When he visited here he caught Tom stealing and hiding other peoples' belongings in the cupboard. He had a box full of treasures on the top shelf that Dumbledore told him to return to their rightful owners before coming to Hogwarts."

"But with news like what he had just heard, I'm guessing simple muggle treasures lost their meaning, and suddenly Tom's treasure box was able to hold something much more meaningful." Hermione said.

"Like part of his soul." Ron agreed, and looked to Harry who was now standing, unmoving, several feet into the room. "What's the plan?" he asked.

Harry seemed to mentally shake himself and stepped forward until he was standing directly before the cupboard.

"We try and get in without killing ourselves." he said, casing his eyes over the doors before gently tugging on the handle to confirm it was locked tight.

"Do you think it could be parseltongue again?" Ron asked,

"_Open_!" Harry hissed.

The doors remained closed but the three of them jumped as the bedroom door behind them slammed shut.

"Why do they always do that?" Ron hissed, slightly breathless at the fright and gripping his wand firmly.

"Probably just the wind." Hermione said, fully aware that they hadn't felt a single breeze since the moment the front door had closed.

"Right," Harry falsely agreed, knowing that his agreement meant nothing to Hermione's lie.

He looked back at the cupboard and frowned. "No" he said, with slight humour to his voice. "Surely that would be too easy."

"Make what too easy?" Hermione asked.

Harry rummaged in the pockets of his cloak and pulled out a small knife.

"In the cave Dumbledore took me to, he had to sacrifice blood to get the cave to open up. Seeing that this cupboard doesn't respond to parsel-tongue…" He placed the knife against his palm but hesitated and looked up at his friends. "One of you can remember how to do a simple healing charm, right?"

Ron looked to his left at Hermione, who nodded and raised her wand a little to show she was ready.

Sucking in his breath, Harry quickly drew the knife across his palm and flicked the stream of blood at the doors. With a shimmer the door's fell open a crack as the blood drops landed on it, and Harry turned to Hermione who quickly healed the cut.

"Did Dumbledore really get you do that in the cave?" she asked, looking at the thick smear of blood left on Harry's palm.

Harry looked a little sheepish, gently flexing his hand. "No." he admitted. "He claimed my blood was much too valuable."

Ron gave a short laugh." And you didn't think of listening to him before cutting yourself?"

Harry shrugged. "It was my blood that opened the door on the way out anyhow." he said, trying to peer into the darkness through the semi-open cupboard door. "I had grazed my arm on the stone, and he was in no condition by that time to help much."

He gently pushed the end of his wand into the gap and pushed at the one of the doors until it opened with a load groan.

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when something suddenly gripped his arm. He turned to find Hermione staring into one of the corners, her wand hand raised.

"I thought I heard something." she said quietly.

Ron moved up to stand beside her. "There's nothing there." he said after a moment. "But the walls are thin. Could it be something in the next room, maybe?"

A slight movement to Harry's right jerked his attention back to the cupboard where something was clearly moving inside. He moved closer, trying to get a clearer look when, with a sudden rush of air, a man in a dark cloak and a white mask pushed the door open and reached for him.


	30. Escape

_I am so, so, so, so, sorry, but thanks to wondergul ISP upgrades my computer has been out of commissions for way too long to be healthy!! As it is, I have still been writing (though be with good old quill and ink) and am now tryng to transfer it all back into pc language from my undecipherable scrawl!!_

_I hope you enjoy what I have managed to upload though. Please review. Kit xxx_

Chapter 30:

In a flurry of motion and noise Harry pushed his friends away, allowing the momentum of the Death Eater's charge crash into him and send them both heavily to the floor.

He barely registered Hermione's screams and Ron's shouts as he raised his fist and sent it into the stranger's face, his knuckles making a sickening crunch as they imbedded themselves into the mask, cracking it and sending a shard of white ceramic deep into his knuckles.

His punch had done its job though, and the Death Eater had been stunned enough for Harry to push him away and to stagger to feet next to his friends.

He took his wand from Ron, who had picked it up when Harry had dropped it in the confusion, and spun to face the danger, finding his wand would have to be used in his left hand considering the knuckles on his right were now bleeding freely.

"Who are you?" he asked, watching the swirling robes as the Death Eater pushed himself into a standing position. "Answer me!" he demanded as the Death Eater remained silent.

The masked man was facing away from the trio, and slowly turned to show that Harry had broken his mask, but only to reveal part of his cheek and his eye.

The Death Eater laughed, infuriating Harry, and gently pulled on his cloak revealing a body that had been lying on the floor under its folds.

"By Merlin! Ginny!" Ron exclaimed, and Harry's blood drained away as he saw the pale body of the one person he had meant to keep safe.

He started to rush forward, but was stopped short as a curse flew past him, cutting off his route to aid the youngest Weasley.

"Riddikulus!" He heard Hermione shout and watched with a numb detachment as the Boggart that had been hiding in the cupboard disappeared in a wisp of dark smoke, the prone image of Ginny Weasley vanishing with it.

Harry sank to his knees in relief and felt Ron do the same at his side.

"A Boggart." Ron said softly, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder and giving it a shaky squeeze of reassurance.

Harry nodded, meeting his friend's eye only briefly before looking at the floor where Ginny had lain and taking a deep breath to try and calm his jumping nerves.

"You two okay?" Hermione asked, moving round to kneel in front of them both.

"I'm fine." Ron assured her. "Thanks for that. Trust you to keep a cool head." he held his hand out to her and gently squeezed her fingertips.

"Harry?" They turned to their friend who was still staring past Hermione at the floor. "Are you okay?"

"My Boggart." he responded. "It's changed."

"Fears do." Hermione said softly. "Bogey-men that people fear as children often get replaced by more adult fears as they get older."

"But my Boggart has never been a childhood fear." Harry said. "A dementor is terrifying enough for anyone. I'm sure Sirius had many nightmares in their company. But now my Boggart reminds me more of your mother's." he directed to Ron.

"Just as well, cause she's hardly a child." Ron said. "And I know Ginny is not family in that way, but you still care about her. It makes sense that you're scared of losing her."

Harry nodded and sucked in his chest, steeling himself as he looked over his shoulder at the wardrobe. "Let's see what's really in that cupboard, shall we?"

He pushed himself to his feet and pulled on the wardrobe handle, opening the door the rest of the way.

The dark space beyond was virtually empty, the shelves only supporting several mounds of dust and a small cardboard box hidden in the shadows of the top left-hand corner.

"This still seems way to easy." Ron said, squinting at the box as Harry pulled it forward, half expecting it to curse them.

They looked into the open box to find a tarnished silver cup with the emblem of the Hufflepuff house engraved on the side.

"Why leave something so valuable in such an easily accessible place?"

"It wasn't that easy." Hermione said. "No muggle would've been able to stumble in here. And no one would've got past that door without being able to speak parseltongue. Maybe Voldemort thought that being able to speak Snake would be test enough for someone worthy to enter here."

A bang from next door made the three of them jump just as Ron reached into the box to take out the cup.

"I have a feeling that whatever Voldemort left for us isn't in here, but out there." Harry said, nodding to the bare wall. "Hermione was right, it was luck that the parseltongue let us in, but I'm sure we could've blasted our way in if we had to. It just would've alerted whatever's out there that much quicker. Getting out is the final test, one that would probably be a walk in the woods for anyone that is prepared."

"So we apparate out as soon as we can, right?" Ron suggested.

Harry shook his head. "There's an anti-apparation ward over this house."

Hermione quickly cast a detection spell and nodded. "He's right." she said to Ron, in a slightly awed voice.

"I still don't know how you do that, mate." Ron said, shaking his head.

Harry shrugged. "Does it matter?"

"I think it must be something to do with being the "most-magical-wizard-of-all-time"." Ron said with a smirk.

"I doubt that article in Witch Weekly had anything to do with how magically adept Harry actually is." Hermione said with a weak smile.

"Harry is still here…" the scruffy haired teenager interrupted them. "And whereas he agrees with Ron about getting out as soon as we can, he also thinks that we should make a run for the exit, being prepared for whatever should jump out at us from the shadows."

He looked at Hermione, who looked nervous but nodded. "Doesn't seem the best of plans, but I guess its our only option right now." she said. "We can't really stay in here forever."

"Great." Ron muttered, striding to the door reluctantly with his wand out ready.

"What about your hand?" Hermione said, indicating at where a piece of white ceramic was still embedded between Harry's knuckles.

Harry grit his teeth, taking hold of the embedded object and pulling it out it a quick move, thrusting his hand towards Hermione as a fresh stream of blood started to drip to the floor.

The bushy-haired Gryffindor fumbled with her wand a bit before being able to point it at the wound and mutter the right spell to stop the flow.

"Thanks for the warning." she glowered.

Harry shrugged. "Just preparing you to keep you on your toes." he said, flexing his fingers and picking up the box with the cup in from where he had quickly placed it on a shelf.

"Ready?" he asked, joining his red-headed friend by the door.

"No" Ron replied.

"Good." Harry said, ignoring his friend's comment and grabbing the handle of bedroom door.

Almost instantly there was the sound of more thumping on the wall from the room next door, but the trio didn't wait around to see what was trying to break in, instead Harry threw open the door and they ran out into the dark corridor, sprinting as fast as they could to the stairs at the end.

A crashing sound from behind them made them hesitate at the corner and look back to see several people-shaped shadows stumble out into the corridor behind them.

"Are they….?"

"Inferi!" Harry confirmed, and shoved his friends into moving down the stairs. "Get going!".

They ran down the stairs, Ron leaping two steps at a time, Hermione gripping the banisters hard as she moved her feet as fast as she could, closely followed by Harry who kept glancing over his shoulder, waiting for the first of the walking dead to come close enough to be cursed.

"Harry!"

The boy-who-lived nearly collided with Hermione as Ron stopped them, spotting movement at the bottom of the staircase they were running down. "There's more down here!"

"Fire!" Harry shouted, raising his wand in front. "They fear fire." and with that, sent a large red column of flames out in front, lighting the pale faces of the dead below them.

With unearthly screams the creatures below them backed away, allowing the trio to sprint down the last couple of steps and start on the next stair case.

They were one staircase away from the one that led to the front door when Harry felt himself pulled back by cold fingers, his knees buckling at the surprising strength of the inferi and landing heavily on the stairs which groaned at its treatment.

"Keep going!" he shouted, throwing the box with the horcrux at Ron, who caught it and put an arm around Hermione guiding her away from Harry and towards more shadows that were moving below them.

Harry squirmed in the grip on his shoulders, hearing Hermione's voice clearly as she sent the incendio curse onto some old curtains below them, scattering the inferi like a flock of birds.

He struggled to bring his wand up to fire at his assailants behind him, when he heard a crack below him and looked down in horror to see a hand break through the wooden stair below the one he was lying on and grab at his leg.

He sent the incendio curse at the hand below him, making it release its bony grip on him with a screech of what could have been pain, but was more likely to have been frustration.

He twisted again, bringing his wand up to aim above him and mouthing the words needed to free himself when a strange sense of weightlessness hit him as the stair he was resting on gave way, sending him and several inferi into the darkness below.

He landed with a painful crash amidst the fleshless limbs of the inferi and the splintered rubble of the stairs that had broken away. Almost instantly he was overwhelmed by a sharp pain in his right leg that was so intense that it indicated the limb was surely broken, as well as a frenzied increase of movement in the darkness.

As the dust settled, he became uncomfortably aware that he had landed in a real-life snake pit, one that would've rivalled any of the action films he had seen his cousin Dudley watch.

One advantage of the thousand squirming bodies was that the inferi were no longer able to come after him, their paths obstructed by the writhing bodies that covered the floor. The disadvantage came with the vast number of snakes that had risen up, agitated by Harry's ungainly entrance into their home.

He tried to kick off one snake that had wrapped itself around his lower leg, agitating the pain in his injured leg in the process.

"STOP!" he hissed as loudly as he could in parseltongue.

A large python quickly rose inches from his face, its black eyes reflecting the little light that came from the hole above and its tongue lashing out threateningly.

"Give us one reason why we shouldn't feast on you." it hissed back.

"I speak your language. I am able to set you free." Harry spoke quickly, the pain in his leg increasing as a large snake pulled itself over his body.

"The last two-legger who promised us such freedom shut us in this hole." the snake relied. "You are one of his brothers, and will pay for his deception."

"No!" Harry hissed again, his skin prickling with anticipation of a sharp pair of teeth. "He is not my brother. I am his enemy! We are fated to fight one another. I promise I can free you from this place, if you would only spare my life!"

"I hear your empty promises, and after all this time they mean nothing to us!" the snake replied.

Harry gasped as he felt a numbing sensation in his left shoulder, and turned his head quickly to see a small black snake look up from where he had just embedded his teeth into his collar bone.

"At least you will feel no pain!" it hissed as Harry felt his sense on reality disappear, as if someone had plunged him into icy cold water laced with a sudden flash of light that ripped all awareness of the situation away from him.


	31. The Jump

Chapter 31:

What felt like seconds, but in reality must have only been minutes later, Harry became aware of a heat coursing through his frozen limbs, and a voice was calling his name as if from another room.

He opened his eyes, to see Hermione's concerned gaze staring into his face.

"He's awake." she said to someone over the other side of the room and moments later Ron joined her.

"Can you hear us, Harry?" Ron asked and Harry nodded, his neck feeling as if it were pushing through a thick tar-like liquid to perform the otherwise easy action. "Good, now get your arse up and lets get out of here!"

Ron reached down and grabbed Harry's arm, pulling him to his feet with Hermione's assistance. Harry's head spun with the sudden movement and he winced as he placed weight on his leg, feeling the bones of his broken leg grind against one another.

"Can you run?" Hermione asked.

Harry looked around the bare room they were in. There was a banging on the closed door that Ron had been hovering beside, and it was evident that they hadn't made it back to Hogwarts yet.

"How did you…?"

"We'll talk about that later!" Hermione said impatiently. "We have to get out of here. Can you run?"

Harry shook his head numbly, still trying to work out what was going on.

"Right, the window it is." Ron said, supporting Harry's arm as he pressured his injured friend into moving.

A whispered word from Hermione and a flick of her wand caused the window to shatter as they approached and the three of them looked out over the ledge to the floor a good fifteen feet below them.

"At least we're only on the first floor." Ron said, throwing a leg over the windowsill. "Do you want to jump or be thrown?" he asked Harry.

Harry stared blankly at his friend. "What?"

Hermione sighed. "He's still not with it, Ron." she said. "Lower me down and I'll cast a cushioning charm for him. You can jump down after."

Ron nodded and started helping his friend out the window. In a brief flash Harry seemed to come to his senses and realised where they were. The noises on the door were Inferi trying to get in and his friends were trying to escape out the window. They must have managed to hover him up from the snake pit, but how they had revived him from the snake venom he had yet to find out.

"Wait!" he said, holding a hand out to Hermione's shoulder.

His friends froze, waiting impatiently for him to continue, but Harry couldn't' think of anything to better the plan of escape they had come up with.

"Its nice that you're trying to help, Harry." Ron said. "But trust us, Hermione has gone through all the options and this is the best one."

Harry nodded, releasing Hermione's shoulder as Ron gripped her wrists firmly and gently lowed her as far as he could before letting go.

She landed with a hard thump the concrete below before pushing herself to her feet and waving her wand at the ground below the window.

"Ready," she said, and Ron nodded, starting to help Harry out through the window.

"Where's the horcrux?" Harry asked, and he shuffled his injured leg into position.

Ron swore and looked over his shoulder. Spotting the cardboard box with Hufflepuff's cup in it across the room, he swung his long legs back over the window ledge and jogged over to pick it up, staring warily at the magically warded door as it shook with the force of the Inferi's intentions on the other side.

"Lets go," he said, as he made it back to the window.

Harry looked down to where Hermione was encouraging him to jump and grit his teeth, knowing that even with a cushioning charm the combination of the impact to the concrete below and his broken leg was going to hurt.

"Go on, Harry." Ron said, clutching the box under one arm and his want in the other. He glanced nervously over his shoulder as the banging ensured. "Whereas Hermione may have stopped them coming through the door, I don't think the walls can take much more."

Harry also glanced back into the room to see that Ron was right. Dust was floating around the door and several large clumps of plaster had already fallen from the wall.

"What's keeping you?" Hermione called from the ground outside.

Harry turned his attention back to the jump, and with a deep breath and a quick prayer he pushed away from the window ledge, closing his eyes tight in order to stop the sight of the concrete floor rushing up to meet him as he fell. He briefly noted the irony that he didn't seem to have a problem with heights or falling when playing quidditch, but without a broom the sensation was far from enjoyable.

With a thump he landed squarely on Hermione's cushioning charm, and with a sharp cry he felt the splintered ends of the broken bone in his leg tear through the skin just below his knee before bright a white light engulfed his consciousness.


	32. Promise to Myrtle

Thanks again for those that reviewed. Ravus7 - if you're reading, i apologised for not replying, but i do like your idea for the marcello sequel. Don't expect anything too soon, but it is a twist i haven't thought of yet and might well find its way into the plot. Thanks. xx

Enjoy - AND REVIEW!!

Chapter 32:

_This seems to be becoming a regular occurrence_, Harry mused as he once more began his ascent back to consciousness and became aware of hushed conversations around him.

He chewed on his tongue slightly, a nasty taste making his mouth feel gummy and thick as he tried to recall what trouble he had gotten himself into this time. As feeling returned to his body, Harry felt an uncomfortable sharp prickling in his right leg and remembered the fall into the snake pit at the old orphanage.

He heard the gentle murmur of voices rise around him and tried to focus on the words that were being said, which was unsurprisingly about what had happened at the orphanage.

"We only went there to investigate something we had read about him." Hermione's voice was saying. "When we found out that Tom Riddle had once stayed there, we thought it might lend more of an insight into how we can destroy him."

"And did you find anything?"

"We're not really sure." Ron said replied. "We didn't really have time to look before the Inferi attacked us and Harry fell into that random snake room. But surely if he hid walking dead people there, he must've done for a reason. Maybe they were guarding something?"

"Something that you were looking for on this treasure hunt Albus left you?" Mad-Eye Moody suggested.

"Maybe." Hermione said. "But as Ron said, we didn't really have a chance to look. I'm more concerned that now we've been in and released the charm holding the Inferi there, they can now get out and attack the muggles in the area. There is another orphanage just down the road. I'd hate to see any of the children get hurt because of us."

"We'll gather some of the Order together and head down there." McGonagall said. "Inferi seldom step into bright sunlight, so we should have a couple of hours to find them. Once they've been restrained we can look around for this item, if that would be okay with you and Harry?"

"I'm sure that'll be fine." Hermione assured her. "Just be warned that there were a lot of them. And we can't really help you with what we were looking for I'm afraid. We weren't really sure ourselves. It was more of a trip to gather information than anything else."

"We'll be fine." Harry heard Bill Weasley say, and listened as several pairs of footsteps left the hospital ward.

After a couple of moments he felt movement on the edge of the mattress and felt someone's hair, most likely Hermione's, tickle his cheek as she leant in to whisper in his ear.

"Are you awake, Harry?"

Harry nodded slightly and opened his eyes.

"You still have it?" were the first words out his mouth and Hermione nodded.

"Ron put it your trunk and locked it as I brought you up here." she said. "We thought it might promote less questions if we made them believe we were in mid search when we got attacked. It also makes them think they are helping us."

"We just need to work out a way to get rid of it." Ron said, sitting on the end of Harry's bed, making the injured boy hiss in pain as he knocked the broken limb.

"I think I know just the thing." Hermione said. "Though it will have to wait until Harry is able to walk again."

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Because we'll need parseltongue to get it."

"Basilisk venom from the chamber?" Harry suggested and Hermione nodded in confirmation.

"There isn't any reason why it shouldn't work this time." she said. "And I want to give it a go before we have to think up any alternatives. After the last one, I'm not really liking the options we have."

Harry nodded, and winced as he tried to move his leg. "How long do I have to stay here?" he asked.

"Madam Pomfrey thinks a couple of days tops." Ron said. "A day for the leg to heal, and then just to make sure that snake venom doesn't have any lasting effects."

Harry raised a hand and felt two small swellings on his collarbone where the small snake had sunk it's fangs into him. "How did you get me out of that anyway?" he asked. "I thought I was done for when snakes started saying that I didn't deserve to live cause of what Voldemort did to them."

"A simple Wingardium Leviosa" Hermione said, proudly looking at Ron. "I wouldn't normally say that it's the most ideal spell to use on humans, but it certainly did it's job on this occasion. It probably helped that you were already unconscious at the time."

"And the snake venom antidote?"

"I've been carrying around vials of basic antidotes and pain reducers," Hermione, indicating her rucksack that was sitting on the next bed. "It didn't do a great job, but it did enough to bring you round."

Harry smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Hermione."

"Yeah," Ron said, "What would you do without her? Eh?"

"I probably wouldn't be doing a lot at this stage." Harry admitted.

"Well, get some rest." Hermione said. "When Monday comes we can head down to the chamber together to see what we can get."

Monday came around quickly and early morning found Harry limping from the hospital wing with Ron by his side, heading to the girl's toilet which contained the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and met Hermione leaning against the wall, a bag by her feet.

"Are you sure the Madame Pomfrey declared you well enough to leave?" Hermione asked as she eyed Harry's prominent limp with concern.

Harry glanced at Ron who rolled his eyes slightly. "She didn't say I had to stay." he replied, skirting the question slightly.

"I don't think she wanted to have him moaning at her when she had to deal with the consequences of Snape's second year potion class." Ron elaborated. "She told him to stay in the castle and check in with her later. And we promised to do just that."

"What happened in the potions class?" Hermione asked.

"Someone added kneazle hair to the pepper-up potion the class were making." Harry said. "Who would've thought that such a small pinch would cause it to explode?"

"Was anyone hurt?"

"Not really." Ron continued. "Though some of them had a few burns. I think Madame Pomfrey was more concerned about those who had started sprouting fur patches."

"It seems kneazle hair not only extends the effectiveness of the potion, but also puts your polyjuice incident to shame." Harry said with a wide grin, referring to the time they had used polyjuice potion back in their second year and Hermione had accidentally morphed herself into a black cat.

Hermione smiled back. "I'm sure that we could work something out to top it." she said.

"Was that an evil grin I saw there?" Ron asked, leaning forward and staring closely into Hermione's face. "You know, Harry? I believe that our innocent 'Mione was implying that she was thinking about pranking someone."

Hermione blushed deeply at Ron's closeness. "I wasn't implying anything of the sort, Ronald." she said, though without any conviction. "I was just thinking of the importance of keeping things as light hearted as possible. Everyone has been behaving so paranoid recently that they are jumping at their own shadows. The twins were right, a bit of laughter never harmed anyone."

"Though wasting time finding these Horcruxes might." Harry pointed out quietly, his good mood lessening slightly. "I'm beginning to think that our days of laughter are over for the moment. At least until we find and destroy the next Horcrux and plan a way to get our hands on Nagini." he glanced at the rucksack that sat at Hermione's feet. "Did you bring it?" he asked.

Hermione nodded and picked the bag up.

"And the brooms are already waiting for us inside." Ron said before Harry could ask. "Seeing Fawkes won't be around to help us this time, I figured they'd be useful."

"Did you get one for me?" Hermione asked.

"I didn't think you'd want to come." Ron admitted, shaking his head. "It's pretty grimy down there."

"And miss the chance to catch up on your adventures whilst I was petrified?"

"Well, there's no reason you can't share my broom." Ron said. "It's not like we have far to travel, and I know how much you hate riding brooms. You can just hold on and let me do the steering."

Hermione smiled her thanks and Harry mentally shook his head as he stepped through the bathroom door, semi-wishing the two would just admit their feelings for one another and stop wasting his time.

"Harry!"

The boy-who-lived froze as he entered the toilet room, suddenly aware that he hadn't even bothered to check for occupants before entering and concerned he might have startled someone.

"Oh, it's you Myrtle." he said with relief once he had spotted the ghost, immediately regretting his words as she let out an ear-piercing wail, rushing up him and pushing a cold finger into his chest.

"You have changed, Harry Potter." she cried with a loud sob. "First you never visit me. Then you hurt that poor boy who used to visit me last year. And now you insult me by talking to me like I'm no one important! I thought you were a nice boy."

"Oh, Myrtle. I'm sorry." Harry said, feeling genuinely regretful as he recalled his last visit to the bathroom. The image of Malfoy lying on the floor in a pool of blood from the curse he had sent his way.

"He had meant to come and see you." Hermione insisted. "Really he has. But he has been so busy lately."

"Busy?" Myrtle sniffed, wiping her nose wetly against her sleeve. "Doing what? What could make his life so busy he wouldn't have time to come visit me?"

"Let's see." Ron said, raising a hand and counting off his fingers. "Quidditch, homework, detentions, saving the world…"

"Oh," Myrtle sniffed again. "I suppose that those things are rather important. _IF YOU WERE ALIVE!_"

"And dangerous," Hermione insisted, interrupting Myrtle before she could start shouting at them again. "He's spent most of his time in the hospital wing already this year. I'm sure that if he ends up there again, he'd be happy for you to come to keep him company. I imagine it can get pretty lonely up there."

Harry frowned at his friend's suggestion as Myrtle's face lit up.

"You would?" she asked Harry.

"If I end up in Pomfrey's care again." he promised through gritted teeth, silently promising himself that he wouldn't. "I would _love_ for you to join me."

"But now we really have to get on with the saving the world thing." Ron said.

"Are you going to brewing more potions here?" the ghost asked, a lot calmer now she had a promise from Harry.

"No," Harry said. "We're going back down into the chamber."

Even though she was a ghost, the trio saw Myrtle shudder at Harry's words and, if possible, turn a shade whiter.

"I don't like it down there." she said. "But if you do get hurt down there, don't think that you have to survive to spend time with me in the hospital wing." she told Harry. "There is always room here, remember." And with that she blew Harry a kiss and flew off.

As she left, Harry turned his gaze to Hermione who shrugged at his accusing stare.

"It stopped her infernal wailing." she said. "And it just gives you extra incentive not to do anything stupid and get hurt again."

Ron snorted at the look on Harry's face and gestured to the sink. "Let's just take baby steps, shall we?" he suggested. "You've already killed the big, bad snake. All we have to do is collect a couple of teeth. Do you think you can do that without endangering yourself or anyone else?"

Harry just walked over to the circle of sinks in the middle of the room, located the etching of the snake, and whispered "open" in parseltongue. He stepped back as the sink sank into the floor out of sight, and waved a hand at the dark hole that was left in its place.

"Lead the way." he said, indicating to Ron.

The youngest Weasley son smirked in return and with a firm hold on his broom, stepped up to the hole.

"Do you think Voldemort created this entrance when he was at school?" Hermione asked as she examined the sink area. "Or do you think this was the original entrance that Slytherin made?"

"I don't think Voldemort would've gotten away with making this unnoticed whilst he was a student here." Ron said, sitting on the edge of the hole and dangling his legs into the darkness. "It would've looked suspicious spending all this time in a girl's toilet for one."

"It looks dark." Hermione said, leaning over Ron's shoulder and looking down. "And deep."

"Oh, this is only the beginning." Ron said bravely, puffing out his chest slightly.

"So get a move on." Harry said, giving his friend a little shove and sending him down the slippery shoot into the depths of Hogwarts school with a whoop.

"Ladies first." he said then, holding his hand out to Hermione and helping her settle on the edge of the hole.

She cocked her head on one side and continued to listen as Ron's shout continued for several long seconds.

"How far down does it actually go?" she asked Harry.

"I think it finishes below the level of the lake." he replied. "It's pretty damp down there."

Hermione nodded slightly. "I'll meet you down there." she said, and with a deep breath, pushed off from the side and started sliding, letting out a little scream at the steepness of the slope.

Harry also took in a deep breath as he gripped his broom and swung his legs over the side. "Here we go again." he muttered as he expelled his breath and released his grip on the side of the bathroom floor.


	33. Back to the Chamber

Chapter 33:

Harry grunted a little as he landed at the bottom of the slope and his recently broken leg protested at the extra pressure he put on it as he came to a sudden halt at the bottom.

"Why are you two still in the dark?" he asked, pulling his wand out of his sleeve and flicking it slightly. When the expected light didn't appear from the tip he swore, then muttered the incantation for light.

He struggled to his feet as he searched for his friends, locating both Ron and Hermione on their knees a couple of feet away, both looking sheepish.

"What's going on?" he asked cautiously.

"Um, Ron just lost his wand as he reached the bottom." Hermione said, and Harry thought he caught her cheeks flush as she started sifting through the old rat bones that still littered the floor. Harry noticed her flinch and hesitate once she realised what it was she was kneeling on.

"Yes. My wand." Ron said, quickly joining in the false search. "I lost my wand." He glanced hesitantly at Harry before seeming to pull his hand out of a pile of bones. "Found it!" He said, triumphantly waving his wand about and sending an overly enthusiastic shower of sparks from the end.

Harry stared at the blatant cover up his friends were trying to make, and wondered exactly how close the two of his friends were getting.

"Sure." he said. "And searching for a wand in the dark is so effective!"

Both Ron and Hermione just glanced at each other before Harry reached his hand out and helped Hermione to her feet. "I can think of better places." he muttered, unsure whether to be amused or not, before raising his wand into the air and looking towards the tunnel they needed to walk down.

"You two coming?" he asked over his shoulder, and in result the damp room became brighter as two more wand lights joined his.

"Sure." Ron said.

"Of course." Hermione said at the same time, looking around their surroundings carefully as they started walking away.

It wasn't long before they came across the blocked tunnel, a small cleared hole indicating the route Harry had taken into the chamber several years before.

"I think I've grown a little since then." Harry said, peering through the small hole that Ron had cleared to allow Ginny and himself to escape.

"Not before this summer you hadn't." Ron said, squatting beside him to look through the hold as well. "You used to be a right skinny runt. "

Harry sent him a glare and Ron shrugged. "But no longer." the red haired youth assured him. "Let's get shifting." he added, pulling at a couple of the loose rocks.

It took the boys a couple of minutes to clear the hole enough to squeeze through. The benefits of Quidditch training, size and age making the job considerably easier than their previous visit.

As soon as they had stepped through the hole, Hermione caught her first glimpse of the basilisk that had petrified her.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed, walking around the snake skin that still lay in the corridor, though had long since collapsed in on itself. "Was it really this large?"

"You were the first to see it face to face." Ron said. "I thought you knew how big it was?"

"I didn't really see its size." she said, poking at the skin to find it crumble under her hand. "I was looking at its reflection, and though I suspected it was quite big, I didn't realise it was _this_ big!"

She looked at Harry, but her next statement froze on her lips at the look on her friend's face. "Don't say anything." he said. "I really don't want to hear it."

She nodded with an understanding smile. "How far to the chamber?" she asked instead.

"Not far." Harry replied and continued leading the way down the tunnel and it wasn't long before he once more stood before the door with the entwined snakes.

"Are you ready to enter the chamber?" he asked, before performing his usual trick and causing the snakes to move, unlocking the door which swung inwards away from them.

He led the way into the chamber, and looked around at the large room with it's stone floor and large columns.

But what really caught his attention was the putrid smell that hit him as bad as walking into a brick wall.

"Oh, Merlin." Ron said, pulling his sleeve over his face. "What is that?"

"What do you think?" Harry replied, pinching his nose tightly as his eyes watered and his stomach rolled.

Behind him he heard Hermione heave and he turned to see her throwing up against the wall.

"You alright?" Ron asked once she had stopped vomiting.

She nodded slightly. "I'm sorry." she apologized, wiping her mouth. "I just didn't expect the smell."

"I suppose we should've done." Harry said, indicating the large carcass of the basilisk that he had slain. "Being a magical creature I guess it's taken longer than normal to rot away."

"Argh." Ron said, wincing as he breathed in. "Do we really have to go close to that thing? Can't we just accio the teeth or something?"

"I wouldn't try it." Harry said. "If they don't come loose then we'll have a forty foot rotting snake headed our way."

"I second that logic." Hermione said, coming to stand next to where Harry was standing, staring at the long room and the snake that lay at the end.

"You really want to get closer?" Harry asked his friend.

Hermione shrugged slightly. "Now my stomach's empty I think I'm actually getting used to the smell." she said from behind her hand.

"Really?" Ron asked, then realised that she didn't mean what she said. "Let's just get this over with." he muttered.

The trio made their way up the long hall to the statue of Slytherin, both Hermione and Ron staring up at it in amazement.

"Do you think the other founders created chambers like this one?" Ron asked as he stared up at the statue that towered above them, its long beard reaching down like a stone waterfall to land between the large feet.

"Could be possible." Hermione answered from behind her sleeve. "Though Slytherin seems to have been the only one who wanted to hide something."

"You think Ravenclaw hid her diadem in a secret room?" Ron asked.

"Let's hope not." Harry said. "If it's remained hidden all this time, I doubt we'd have much of a chance of finding it ourselves. It's only because the diary released the Basilisk that we found this place."

"But I bet it would be an interesting hunt." Hermione said, and Harry and Ron looked at her, both recognizing the tone of her voice as one who had a new mystery to solve.

"Maybe you could make it your life's work once this is over." Ron suggested.

"I was thinking more of becoming a teacher." Hermione said.

"No reason why you couldn't teach here and investigate in your spare time." Harry suggested, "It would be great if someone could rewrite Hogwarts: A History in a way that would make people actually wanted to read it." They came to a stop in front of the Basilisks head, standing just clear of the dark stain on the floor where the great beast had bled out. "Merlin, this thing stinks."

"How are we going to get the Basilisk venom?" Hermione asked, squatting down slightly to look into the beast's mouth, though still keeping a fair distance away.

"Is it the venom we need or do we just take the whole fang?" Harry asked, inching his way closer to the face that reached the same height as his waist.

"Couldn't we have thought about this outside the chamber?" Ron asked, beginning to look a little green.

"Venom snake is kept in sacs in behind the fangs," Hermione explained, spouting the information she had looked up about snakes. "I think we need to get the venom from there to get a good sample."

"And the best way to do that?" Harry asked, pushing his lit wand into the cavernous mouth.

"Probably to pull at the fang until it becomes loose, and then catch any venom that leaks out."

"It all looks pretty rotten in here." he said, focusing his attention on the longest fang. "Do you have any vials?"

"Of course." Hermione said, rummaging in her rucksack. "You okay, Ron?"

"I'm not feeling too good." the Weasley boy said, clutching his sleeve tighter to his face.

"Just go throw up in the corner." Hermione suggested. "It'll make you feel better."

Ron nodded at her suggestion, but didn't more from where he was watching Harry take hold of the one remain fang and give it a sharp tug.

The whole head moved, emitting an evil groan as it did. Harry hesitated, then with a shrug tugged on the fang again until a cracking noise was heard from within the mouth. A thick liquid started to ooze down the fang and Harry reached out with the thick-glass jar Hermione passed to him.

"Let's hope that this stuff is still potent." he said, watching the cloudy yellow liquid fill the container.

"It should be." Hermione said. "It's only taken four years to decompose this far. I think you were right with the idea that magical creatures take longer to rot."

"Can we just get a move on?" Ron asked, his shoulders heaving as he tried to keep his lunch.

"You can start to make your way out." Harry said, grunting slightly as he turned his face away from the corpse. "I won't be far behind you."

Ron stood up at his suggestion, but Hermione didn't move. "No chance." she said. "I don't trust you to not get into any trouble."

Harry felt like chuckling, but the sound of Ron emptying his stomach prevented his humour from emerging.

"Okay," he said, pulling the half filled container away from the Basilisk's mouth. "I think that will be enough. Let's get out of here."

He stood up and held the vial out to Hermione, who took it to allow Harry to help support a weakened Ron out of the chamber.

Once out of reach of the obnoxious smell, Harry let Ron sink to the floor and patted his back as his friend started to vomit again.

"I'm glad you managed to refrain from doing that whilst I was carrying you." Harry said, earning himself a dirty look from his friend.

"Should we do this down here do you think?" Hermione asked, shaking the venom slightly to see the thick liquid leach against the side of the glass.

"Probably prevent any unwanted questions." Harry agreed, helping Hermione to undo the rucksack and let her reach in to remove the cup.

"How much should we use?" Hermione asked. "Do you think we should save some for the next one?"

"We can try." Harry said, holding his wand out to examine the cup closer. "Are you up to holding the light for us?" he asked over his shoulder to Ron, who was now slumped against the wall near the locked door to the chamber.

Instead of answering, Ron just flicked his wand, creating a silent Lumos spell to which Harry sucked in a deep breath of irritation.

"You'll get it eventually." Hermione assured him again, quietly.

"Just pour the venom." he muttered, holding his now darkened wand tightly to defend against any unpleasantness that it might try to throw at them.

Hermione gently tipped the vial, allowing about half the amount to ooze into the basin of the cup, causing it to hiss and steam.

"A bit more you think?" she asked, peering cautiously into the cup.

The three of them ducked in defence as a loud scream emitted from the cup. The high pitched scream continued until the steam from the cup turned black. With a little shake from Hermione, the cup sparked suddenly, producing a smell a little like rotten eggs before falling silent.

The trio sat in silence for several long seconds before Ron asked "That was it?"

Harry raised his eyes to meet Hermione's, and she shrugged slightly, holding the cup out for Harry to take.

The only surviving Potter held out his hand and lightly brushed his fingers against the cool metal engraving of Hufflepuff's emblem, then took a full hold of the cup, pulling it away from Hermione's grasp.

"I guess that was all it took." he said, looking in to see that all the venom had disappeared from the inside.

"What an anticlimax." Ron said from his place against the wall.

"Thank goodness." Hermione said with a sigh of relief. "No coma's, no blackened fingers, no mysterious scars…"

"Let's get back upstairs." Harry said, just as relieved as Hermione that they were one step closer to finishing this. "We'll have tonight off and start looking for the next one tomorrow."


	34. Meeting Dumbledore

Chapter 34

Harry took a deep breath as he waited outside the headmaster's door… _Headmistress_'_s_ door, he corrected himself with a small shake of his head. It was less than a week before Christmas and this was the first time he had been in the office since the start of the school year. He didn't think that he had been deliberately avoiding the room, rather that he hadn't had a need until now to enter it, but now as he stood at the top of the spiral stairs he began to dread the changes that might have happened inside. He couldn't imagine a room without all the whirling gadgets and knickknacks that Dumbledore had collected over his years.

He raised a hand and wrapped his knuckles against the door, hearing his previous head of house call "enter" from inside. He gripped the handle firmly as he pushed open the heavy oak door, and entered the round room.

The room itself was laid out in the same way as it's previous owner had liked it. The same large desk opposite him was clear apart from a pile of papers in one corner and an ink pot with a large emerald quill sticking out of it in the other. His eyes were also drawn to where Gryffindor's sword hung in it's rack on the wall next to the cabinet that had once held Dumbledore's pensieve.

Apart from that, there wasn't much that reminded Harry of Dumbledore's previous occupancy. The sides that once held the gadgets which Harry had taken his anger out on a couple of summers before were now home to the many cages and training aids that had once sat in McGonagall's transfiguration classroom. There was no longer the cheerful welcome from Fawkes sitting on his perch, and even though the bookshelves in the room were still full, it was clear to Harry that they were more suited to the new head's taste rather than the old tomes favoured by Dumbledore.

"I have tried to make it more my own." McGonagall said softly, realising that Harry had been taking in the changed surroundings. "But I fear that it may be several years before it feels my own."

Harry raised his eyes to where the previous head's of the school stared down at him from their portraits.

"Are you planning on sticking around long enough to make it your own?" Harry asked, skirting his eyes over the portrait of Phineas Black as he searched the paintings for the one face he knew well.

"I am not as young as I used to be." McGonagall admitted. "And I doubt very much that I'll ever reach the ripe old age that Albus did." she was silent for a moment before saying. "But you're right, I won't be here long enough for his spirit to completely disappear from this room."

She smiled slightly as she realised what Harry was looking for. "Behind you, Mr Potter."

Harry spun on one heel to see his old headmaster smiling down at him from a large portrait hung above the door.

His breath caught in his throat as he looked at the headmaster who had been painted sitting behind his desk, his fingers steeped in their traditional manner as a cascade of memories flooded Harry's mind.

"Hello, Harry." the portrait said, a small sad smile on it's face.

Harry cocked his head a little to one side, thinking to himself that the painting failed to capture the sparkle that had always had a home in the headmaster's eyes but then smiled a little to himself as an idea came to him. "Bit of a strange place to hang yourself." he directed to the painting.

His theory was correct, and the smile became larger and the sparkle in the old wizard's eyes reappeared as Harry thought they might.

"I was beginning to think you were avoiding me." the portrait returned.

Harry shrugged slightly. "I think maybe I was." he admitted. He glanced over his shoulder to where McGonagall was still standing by her desk. "How much do you remember about before?" he asked. "I'm not entirely sure how portraits are made."

Dumbledore smiled at him, understanding his reference to the other company in the room. "Enough." he said. "Hogwarts has her own way of imprinting memories into portraits of her masters. A skill I believe the original founders endorsed her with." he sighed slightly and rested his hands on the desk. "I only regret I didn't have time to investigate further."

Harry nodded, "I think maybe I need to bring Hermione up here for a chat sometime." he said. "Ron and I made a silly suggestion that she writes a new edition of Hogwarts: A History when we graduate, and I swear she has taken the idea seriously."

Dumbledore nodded. "Maybe I'll let her know where I hid the records of my Hogwarts' findings."

"You have more hiding places?" McGonagall interrupted from behind Harry. She threw her hands up in the air in resignation. "I'm going to make some tea. I'll be back in an hour."

"She's been finding new hiding places every day since she moved her office in here." Dumbledore said with a wink as the head mistress left, and then took on a more serious countenance when the door had closed. "How have you been, Harry?" he asked.

"I've been okay." Harry said, taking a few steps back and swinging himself up to sit on the desk, ignoring the several exclamations of disgust from the portraits around him. "Been working hard."

Dumbledore's portrait nodded. "Minerva has been keeping me updated with your extra training. And of your sudden growth spurt over the summer holidays for that matter, which does suit you I must add. Makes you look more like your own man, rather than your father's imitation."

"I would say I hadn't noticed." Harry said. "But it took me nearly a week before I learnt to walk properly again."

Dumbledore nodded. "I admit that I decided to wait until you came visit me before I went travelling around the castle's portraits trying to make contact with you. I knew you would come when you were ready."

"Though that took longer than you thought," Harry said, and Dumbledore nodded.

"It'll be nice to stretch my legs." he said, leaning back in his chair.

"We've found four in total." Harry said after a brief pause, knowing that the portrait would know what he was talking about without having to admit it out loud. "All of them are destroyed."

Dumbledore smiled. "You _have_ been working hard." he said. "It took me several years to find the one that I did. Where did you find them?"

"The necklace was up for sale in Knockturn Alley." Harry said. "Kreacher stole it from Grimmauld Place, and it found it's way there after Mundungus stole it. I believe that Sirius' younger brother, Regulus, decided that being a Death Eater wasn't for him and managed to steal it and take it home. He was killed before he managed to destroy it though."

"And the other?"

"Hufflepuff's cup was hidden in Riddle's orphanage. I guess he really did see that as a place where he developed his skills rather than a place of suppression."

"And what of your idea's of the final three?"

"Riddle will obviously still hold the final part of his soul." Harry said. "We are taking a weighted guess that he didn't go as far as to make seven excluding his own. He was intelligent enough to know that he was stretching himself thin as it was."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "And…?"

"We think his snake, Nagini, is rather old for a snake and there is something that just isn't right about her."

"I'd agree with your thoughts, but would you really risk everything on such a gamble?" Dumbledore asked.

"I don't see any other choice." Harry said. "Unless you have any further ideas? I'd love to hear them."

Dumbledore stood and started pacing in front of the desk in his painting, his cloak billowing out of sight behind the heavy frame as he turned. "And number seven?"

Harry sighed. "We think it might be something of Ravenclaw's." He said. "We doubt that Riddle would've picked anything from Gryffindor for obvious reasons, but he does seem to like collecting treasures related to the other founders. Ravenclaw is the only one unaccounted for."

"What is the artefact you think he used?"

Harry took a deep breath. "In our hearts we are thinking that it could be her diadem." he said. "But there has been no records of it since the time they were alive. In fact, we haven't even found a picture of it in any books since we've started looking for it."

Dumbledore nodded. "I believe there is a portrait of her in the Ravenclaw common room that has her wearing her diadem."

Harry nodded. "Luna told us the same thing at lunch the other day." he said. "The students leave for Christmas holidays first thing in the morning. We were going to go take a look when they had gone."

Dumbledore nodded. "It would avoid any unnecessary questions about why you are trespassing in another house's common room."

The room fell into a brief silence as both portrait and young man mused on their own thoughts.

"Why haven't you told the Order about your activities?" Dumbledore asked, breaking the silence. "Minerva has been pestering me constantly for the past few weeks. She did ask once or twice before, but I think your final visit to the hospital wing has sent her into overdrive."

Harry smiled slightly. "Why didn't _you_ tell them?" he countered.

Dumbledore accepted his response with a nod. "To keep them safe." he said.

Harry nodded. "It won't be long before I'll have to tell them." he said. "I'll need their help if I'm to ever get near to Nagini, if only to have them distract the Death Eaters until I can do the deed. But the longer I can keep them safe, the better."

"I don't know, Harry." the portrait said. "Learn from an old man's mistakes. Often silence is not the best way to protect your friends, for they have no way of knowing what they are up against."

Harry frowned. "So you want me to tell them?"

"It's not my decision to make, Harry." Dumbledore said. "But I do think that Voldemort has waited more than long enough to make his move. He will direct his actions towards you, for his perception is that you are the only reason for his past failures. Destroy you and he destroys the only thing that stands in the way of supposed greatness. And to destroy you, he knows to go after the ones you love."

"It all comes back to that doesn't it." Harry said, swinging his legs against the side of the desk. "Love, that is."

Dumbledore shrugged. "You once compared yourself to him." he pointed out. "but realistically, how far do you think you would've got if you hadn't had relied on your friends, or they on you?"

Harry nodded. "I know." he said. "I realised that over the summer when Ron and Hermione refused to leave me alone for five minutes."

"You have two very special friends there." Dumbledore acknowledged. "A bit mismatched maybe, but I think that's what makes your trio so strong."

Harry nodded. "I best be off." he said with a sigh. "The Gryffindor's are holding a party in the common room tonight after the feast. I guess they figured it would be the best way to celebrate Christmas."

Dumbledore gave a chuckle. "Don't you usually celebrate Christmas like that every year?" he asked. "I would advise you not to stay up all night. But I have a feeling that you're going to be trouble for Bill and his new wife tonight."

Harry laughed out loud. "Trouble?" he said. "Why do you think they volunteered for scouting duty tonight?" he stood up from the desk and gave a respectful nod to his former tutor. "I'll be back again soon." he said.

Dumbledore nodded back. "I look forward to your visit." he said.


	35. Attack!

Chapter 35:

Harry sat curled up on the rug in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, staring into the flames with a number of objects laid out on the floor in front of him.

He had just got back from his visit to Dumbledore's portrait to find that all the Gryffindors had already left the tower for the final Christmas feast. As far as he was aware only the Weasleys and Hermione would be staying with him in the Gryffindor tower over the Christmas holidays apart from one small lad from the first year, whose parents had been caught in a blizzard somewhere on their way back from America and were unable to pick him up at the same time as the other students.

After a brief examination of the boy's dormitory, Harry concluded that his closest friends were downstairs joining in with the celebrations. Either that or they were sitting up in the girl's dormitory, but with the alarms on the stairs that sounded whenever a male stepped foot on them, Harry quickly abandoned that idea, though was sure that Ron would have taken the liberty by now if security allowed it. In recent weeks Harry had barely seen him away from Hermione's side and even though they hadn't admitted anything, he was sure they had some unspoken agreement about finally becoming a couple.

He stared down at the horcruxes that had already been found and destroyed, absently stroking Crookshank's thick fur as the part-kneazle rubbed up against him. Dumbledore had directed Harry to a hidden drawer at the base of book case which had held several dusty old photo albums as well as the Tom Riddle's diary and the ring that had been held in the Gaunt family for centuries. They had come so far over the past few months, not in terms of finding the horcruxes but rather in preparing themselves for the battle that was looming just around the corner.

Harry stilled his nerves, took in a shaky breath and gathered Voldemort's treasures together. He walked up the stairs to his dormitory and hid them away in the bottom of his trunk, muttering a locking spell under his breath after attempting his obligatory attempt at non-verbal spell casting. He had changed him mind on visiting the Ravenclaw common room the next day. He knew he should get move faster with his hunt, but part of him wanted to celebrate Christmas with his friends without the threat of Voldemort hanging over him. Luna had already kindly provided him with the password though Harry was sure that, if the password were to change before they visited the Ravenclaw common room, Dumbledore would be able to get them in somehow.

After brushing the Kneazle fur from his black robes, he made his way to the portrait door and down the stairs to dinner. He walked mechanically, his mind restless with the worry that something was brewing outside the walls of Hogwarts, and that he was not yet ready to do anything about it. His scar hadn't pained him or itched like it had in previous years, but tonight it was irritating him in a way it had never done so before.

He rubbed it slightly, mentally thinking that he might visit Dumbledore again that night to mention its activity to him, before pushing against one of the double doors that led to the great hall and making his way to the Gryffindor table.

He frowned slightly when he didn't immediately see his two friends in their normal seats, but managed a smile for his girlfriend and returned her quick kiss before helping himself to some turkey and potatoes.

"Didn't think you were going to make it." Ginny said as he took his first mouthful.

Harry smiled at her. "I'm sorry I'm late." he said. "I went back to the common room to drop a book off before coming here." He glanced down the table, once more searching for his friends, an annoying concern growing deep in his stomach. "Not seen Hermione or Ron yet?" he asked.

"No." Seamus replied from across the table next to Neville.

"But that's not really surprising." Dean said. "I mean, it's not like those two have been apart for longer than ten minutes since the start of term."

Ginny gave a laugh. "So you've noticed that too?" she asked.

"Who hasn't." Neville replied with a grin. "They're closer than you two are, and you've gone public!"

As his friends laughed, Harry cast his eyes over the head table, noting that it also seemed empty of his closest friends.

"So you haven't seen them?" he asked again, his frown causing his friends laughter to stop.

"Everything okay, Harry?" Neville asked. "You're looking kind of nervous."

"And when you look nervous, the rest of us run for cover!" Seamus said, his goblet of juice held halfway to his mouth, staring over its rim to look at the-boy-who-lived.

"It's nothing." Harry said with a shake of his head, and stabbing his fork into some mashed parsnips.

"Look, you've been training us all year." Dean said. "If you have cause for concern, then don't you think you ought to share it with the rest of us? I mean, we've learnt to read your moods pretty well over the past few months, you know? And this isn't happy Harry!"

"They're right, Harry." Ginny said. "I haven't seen you look this nervous since the summer."

Harry reached a hand up and rubbed his scar. "It's just odd for those two to leave me alone for five minutes, let alone not to be seen for a whole day." he said. "It's like they don't trust me to not get into trouble or something."

"There they are." Neville said, pointing to the main doors.

Harry turned and saw his friends enter the hall and speak briefly with Remus Lupin at the entrance. He watched as Hermione and Ron listened intently as Remus spoke urgently, his hands gesturing in some sort of explanation, but ensuring his voice was low enough not to attract the attention of the Hufflepuffs sitting nearby.

He felt Ginny rest her hand on his arm when Ron and Hermione left Remus, who walked up the length of the hall to his seat at the head table. A few seconds later his friends took their seats, Hermione next to him and Ron next to his Neville on the opposite side of the table.

"What was all that about?" Harry asked with cautious curiosity.

"Nothing." Ron said quickly.

"You were never a good liar, Ron." Ginny pointed out. "Something serious must've been said to make you look like that."

Ron dropped his head, but not before Harry saw him glance his way. Hermione, however, met his gaze full on and her expression was one of anxiousness rather than fear or concern.

"What aren't you telling me?" Harry asked. "It's about me, isn't it? Remus told you something that involves me."

"Not everything involves you, Harry." Ron muttered, causing Hermione to swing her attention to him in shock and angrily shake her head.

"Stop lying, Ronald." Ginny said angrily.

Harry could sense nearby students halting their own conversations to listen to their argument, and Ron must've been aware as well as he quickly backed down from his sister's argument.

"It doesn't involve you." Hermione tried to assure Harry. "But we can't tell you what it was about. It's not our place to. I'm sure Remus will tell you soon though."

"So you're deliberately going to hold stuff back from Harry?" Ginny accused, standing up slightly and leaning over Harry to point her finger at Hermione. "After all you've been through together, don't you think he deserves some sort of loyalty?"

"Don't you dare question our loyalty to Harry." Ron said, his Weasley temper flaring up as quick as his sister's.

"So tell him what he wants to know." Ginny returned heatedly.

"We can't." Ron shouted, standing up to face his sister over the table. "If we could we would. But it's better this way."

"What's better this way?" Harry asked softly from where he was still sat at the table, quietly watching the siblings argue.

The argument ceased as quickly as if started and both Weasleys had the grace to look guilty as they watched someone walk up behind Harry.

The hall by now was completely silent, watching the proceedings with rapt attention.

"We need to talk outside." an emotionless voice from behind Harry said, and he turned to see Alastor Moody standing there, flanked by Remus and Bill.

"About what?" Harry asked, standing up to meet the Order members on eye level.

"Just come with us." Moody said.

"What the hell is going on?" Harry demanded as Bill and Moody took his upper arms and started to force him to the doors.

In reflex he started to dig his heels into the ground, hindering their progress as he looked back to see Hermione restrain Ginny from coming after him. He watched as Ron whispered something over the table that made his girlfriend's expression turn from surprise to anger and the finally to the same anxious look that Hermione wore.

"What's going on?" Harry asked again once they were outside the hall and the doors had been closed on all the curious faces peering their way.

"Outside, Harry." Bill said.

"Not until I know what's going on." Harry said, shortly, shrugging his arms out of the firm grips of his tutors and spinning to face them.

He was shocked to see Bill reach out with a hand and shove him hard in the chest, but was even more surprised when a bright flash of blue was seen out of the corner of his eye.

He allowed the momentum of Bill's push to send him to the floor, rather than attempting to keep his balance, and consequently the curse flowed harmlessly in the space where he had occupied moments before.

He rolled as his hit the floor, coming to his knees with his wand already in his hand.

From the shadows of the corridors that led from the corridors that led from the entrance hall came many figures dressed in dark clocks, their faces hidden by hoods but the raised wands in their hands were a clear indication of their intentions.

"Run!" Remus shouted from behind Harry, and suddenly the room was filled with a myriad of colours as a wizards battle ensued.

Harry aimed his wand at one of the hooded wizards nearest him on the right, shouting out a "stupefy" as he forced himself to his feet and sprinted for the main doors, hoping to draw whatever enemies that had broken their way into Hogwarts away from all the students that were currently residing within the great hall.

He ducked as another flash flew over his shoulder and he spun, shouting another stunner as a figure barrelled at him from the side.

The hooded figure connected squarely with Harry, and the two of them stumbled into the main doors, pushing them open and falling out into the weak winter's sunlight.

Harry spun his wand and managed to send a curse towards his assailant, knocking him to the ground unconscious.

His foe was quickly replaced by another who forcefully pushed Harry from behind, a sharp shove between his shoulder blades that sent the boy-who-lived tumbling down the worn stone staircase.

He tumbled head over heels several times before coming to a halt on the path, his breath knocked out of him. He lay there, stunned for several long seconds before he realised that there was a shadowy figure heading down the steps towards him.

He sent a trip-hex blindly up towards the school and dived over the stone wall that stood on one side of the steps, ducking down and taking shelter from any attackers for a couple of desperate seconds whilst he tried to catch his breath.

He raised a hand, wincing when he felt a large bump forming on the side of his head from his fall and brought his fingers away to find them covered in a thin film of blood. His self-musings were distracted by a loud shout from above him, and he turned to see Tonks' jump on the back of another of the attackers who currently held Remus from behind, a silver knife held to the werewolf's throat.

Without thinking, Harry jumped over the side of the stairs and sprinted up, his wand appearing in his hand and a curse readily leaving its end to connect with yet another one of the enemy who was heading to assist his colleague with Tonks' furious attack.

Harry barely had time to think as he barrelled up the stairs, multiple curses flying from his wand as he reached Remus and his assailant.

He had felled another two strangers in the time it had taken to sprint up the stairs, and it took barely a minute for him to help Tonks force Remus attacker to the floor, knifeless and magically bound.

Harry panted as his head jerked up to face any other attackers, and was shocked to see Kingsley standing in the doorway, flanked by Ron, Hermione and Ginny, applauding softly.

"What did I tell you?" Tonks said with a grin, helping Remus to his feet and sending a silent "finite" to the assailant at her feet to unbind him. "All it takes is a little less concentration and a little more need for the boy to produce the most amazing magic!"

"What?" Harry said, his wand still raised in confusion as Remus also helped a cloaked figure to his feet. His head had started to throb and his left wrist was beginning to ache badly.

"Your non-verbal spell casting." Hermione explained with a grin.

"Yeah, mate." Ron said. "You've mastered it quite spectacularly if you ask me."

"You trying to tell me this was a set up?" Harry asked, his wand hand dropping slightly as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"That's exactly what we're saying." A voice from behind Harry said, and the boy-who-lived turned to see one of the felled assassins walking up the stairs, pulling his cloak hood back to reveal Fred Weasley.

"Man, your spells contain a punch." his twin said as Ginny helped him to his feet at the top of the stairs.

"As does his fist," Charlie agreed, after revealing himself as Remus' attacker.

"You all planned this?" Harry reiterated his previous question, the sudden anti-climax to a life threatening situation still not registering in his mind. "Why?"

"To get you using your non-verbal magic." Remus explained. "You probably didn't realise it at the time, but you were wandless as you reached the bottom of the stairs. But you quite silently managed to summon it back to you and proceeded with the most spectacular display of non-verbal attacks I've seen a seventh year perform for a long time."

"But, I can't have." Harry said disbelievingly. "I mean, I couldn't breathe when I fell down the stairs, and when I heard Tonks shout and so I ran up to help…"

"Mission accomplished." Tonks said with another grin as the reality of what Harry had just managed to do suddenly made sense to him. "All you have to do now is remember how it works."


	36. Christmas Eve

Chapter 36:

The following evening, Harry sat in the common room surrounded by his closest friends. It was Christmas Eve, and he had spent the day practising his new-found skill. He hated to admit it, but once he had managed to cast one or two non-verbal spells, his magic just seemed to flow more smoothly, to the point that duelling seemed almost easy in comparison to the efforts he had had to make in the past.

As the day had passed though, with the students leaving for the holidays and castle settling into a Christmassy silence, Harry's scar had begun to burn more and more, resulting in a headache that caused him to wince against bright lights. Luckily for Harry, the school had been atmospherically lit by multitudes of fairy lights since the feast the night before, and he had been able to hide his wincing and anxieties from his friends.

He was currently frowning he studied a chessboard but, as usual, the only moves he had left seemed to put Ron in a sure-to-win position. A quick glance at his smiling friend confirmed his suspicions, and with a resigned sigh moved his knight forward and to the right, ignoring it's cry of "traitor" as Ron practically pounced on it with one of his own pieces.

"Face it, Harry." Bill said with a grin. "You aren't ever going to beat him."

"Maybe another experienced player should have a go." Fleur said with a soft smile, gently pushing Harry's shoulder to encourage him out of the seat so she could take his place.

Harry smirked as Ron snapped his mouth closed from where it had momentarily fallen open and leaned in as he walked past his friend's chair. "Good job Hermione isn't here." he murmured and jumped out the way of Ron's flying arm.

He made his way to the sofa where Ginny was sitting, trying to untangle a pile of string that the Weasleys commonly used to spell their decorations to the tree with.

"Need a hand?" he offered, and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead as he flopped down.

"Sure," Ginny replied. "Though the chances of us getting this done by tomorrow morning are pretty slim."

"Oh, I don't know." Harry said, glancing at the large clock that stood in the corner. "We still have a good five hours before Christmas day chimes it's arrival."

Ginny laughed a little, then glanced at Harry out of the corner of her eye. "So, Mr Potter, what has the boy-who-lived brought his girlfriend for Christmas?"

"Nothing?" Harry said honestly, then laughed as Ginny sent him a shocked look, then hit him lightly on his arm. "You'll just have to wait until morning, won't you!" he said and leaned in for another kiss just as the door to the common room flew open with a bang.

Charlie rushed in, his face red as if he had been running hard and fast for a while.

"Bill, Fleur. Diagon Alley is under attack. We have to get there and help."

Harry, Ron and Ginny leapt to their feet as Ron's eldest brother rushed to the entrance to the common room and followed his wife through the portrait.

"Mum's on her way to keep an eye on you." Charlie said, stepping backwards through the entrance himself. "She won't be long, and under no condition are you to leave this room until she arrives, understood?"

"C'mon, Charlie." Ron said, raising his hands and he argued his point. "We've been training all year, we can help!"

Charlie's eyes fell on his youngest siblings and Harry felt Ginny's hands ball into fists beside him.

"No!" he said firmly. "And I'm telling the Fat Lady not to open for anyone except mum." he glanced at Harry. "Stay here. Stay safe." and with those final words he left, swinging the portrait door shut behind him with a bang.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake." Ginny snarled at the door, giving the base of the portrait's frame a kick then spinning around with her arms crossed angrily. "We're not children anymore. Why can't they stop trying to treat us as if we were?"

"Because they have to fight for something." Harry said, and made eye contact with his girlfriend. "Isn't that what you told me last summer?"

Ginny huffed slightly and walked aback into the room.

"What about Fred and George?" Ron asked quietly, making his sister freeze and Harry's blood run cold. "They were working late tonight and Diagon Alley will be packed…"

Harry gave a cry as a lance of pain seared through his scar, and he fell to the floor in a heap as the pain escalated. Ginny rushed over to him whilst Ron ran back to the portrait and started to pound on the frame.

With a deep breath Harry managed to grit his teeth against the pain and pulled himself to his knee's with Ginny's help.

"Harry! Are you okay?" she asked, helping him keep his balance.

"It's been building all day." Harry said with a grimace. "Dumbledore was right, he's been too quiet for too long. I should've known something like this would happen." He looked over to where Ron was still frantically hitting the frame. "Don't bother with that, Ron." he said, and with a lurch managed to get himself to his feet, weaving as the pain in his head made him feel slightly dizzy. "I think I might know another way."

He took Ginny's hand and made his way to the boy's dormitory stairs, Ron hot on their heels.

"A way where?" Ginny asked.

"A way out of here." Harry called back over his shoulder.

He rushed past their own dormitory and headed for the one marked "second year boys". He pushed open the door and rushed in, pulling his girlfriend through the mess left by the younger boys and into their bathroom.

With a determined air he marched past the sinks and toilet cubicles and let go of Ginny's hand to run his own over the blank wall that separated the sink area apart from the showers.

"What are you looking for?" Ginny asked curiously.

"One of the second years was ill a few weeks back." Harry explained over his shoulder as he pushed and prodded at the bricks. "Hermione asked me to help her look after him. I was leaning against this wall whilst he was throwing up over there and…" he smiled as he felt a brick give way with the pressure from his fingers. A small tingle running through their tips as he felt the magic of a concealment charm fall away as the secret passage opened. "…I found this." he said, gesturing to the dark hole that was there.

"Where does it go?" Ron asked.

"No idea." Harry admitted. "I never opened it that day and completely forgot about it until now."

"Well, as long as it gets us out of the tower." Ginny said, lighting the tip of her wand and taking a step unto the narrow space.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Ron asked, grabbing her arm.

"Don't start, Ron." Ginny said, swinging the point of her wand around to point into her brother's face. "If you and Harry get to go help rescue Fred and George, then why can't I?"

Ron looked to Harry who shrugged. "I think every capable hand will help." he said, rubbing his forehead. "As long as all three of us stay out of the main fight I don't see how we can't help in some way without getting into too much trouble."

Ron snorted as he let go of Ginny's arm, letting her climb into the hole. "Stay out of trouble? You?" He watched Harry step into the gap in the wall and grabbed his arm before he disappeared. "She's your responsibility, Potter." he said, jerking his head to where his sister was last seen. "Make sure she doesn't get hurt."

"I thought you just said I attracted trouble?" Harry said, slightly confused.

"Well, if you look after her then maybe you won't take risks." Ron said. "Besides, I'll be responsible for watching your back, won't I!" he added, as if his words made everything make sense.

Harry just shook his head and continued to squeeze his way down the tight tunnel towards Ginny.


	37. Face to Face

_I apologize for the shorter chapters - here's another one but I will endeavour to make the next few longer. _

_I must send a big THANKS to Anna and Jinawee - it's been such a long time since I've received a decent sized review - and then I get two at the same time! It really is such a large incentive to write more - so much so i've managed another 6 pages this evening, though subject to editing and extending before I post! _

_Thanks to Anna for pointing out my first big mistake - I certainly didn't catch it when writing, and will go back and change it as soon as I get time. For any of those who want to hazard a guess what it was without cheating and reading her review, then I'll give a big sugary bun to anyone who spots it... don't forget to review at the same time though!_

_Enjoy the chapter. Kit. xxx_

Chapter 37:

The narrow stone corridor caused the taller boys a lot more difficulty than the youngest Weasley who often found herself waiting for them on a bend or in a place where the walls had fallen in slightly.

After a good fifteen minutes of squeezing through tight corners and ducking spider webs Ron hit his head and fell back, rubbing a blood smear from the bump that had instantly appeared.

"Where on earth is this corridor taking us?" he asked, examining his fingertips in his wand light.

"There's some light up ahead." Ginny called back from a good distance ahead.

"Good riddance." Harry muttered, feeling Ron's pain as his own head connected with a sharp outcrop of stone that he hadn't seen in the shadows, the physical pain only adding to the pain that flashed from his scar.

Moments later, both boys were accepting Ginny's help as they pulled their way out of the tunnel between two large rocks and into a thick circle of trees.

"Where are we?" Ron asked, catching his breath slightly and trying to see any landmarks in the darkness.

"Quidditch pitch." Ginny said, pointing at a dark shadow that loomed over them. "I guess some one created that passage to make it easier for sneaky practises in."

"I'm surprised we didn't know about it." Ron said.

"You honestly think McGonagall would've kept something like this from us if she knew?" Harry asked. "Or the Marauder's map for that matter?"

Ginny did some quick calculations in her head. "Wouldn't that have been the twin's dorm?" she asked and caused her brother to grin.

"How hacked off would they be if they knew they missed a secret passageway that was right under their noses?" Ron said gleefully.

"They have to be safe to be "hacked off"." Harry gently reminded his friend. He set out into the darkness. "Let's go."

It only took a few minutes of running to reach the school's boundaries after the trio had come to the conclusion that the school gates were too far away. Harry and Ron had to help Ginny get over the tall wall before using the assistance of nearby tree to hoist themselves over.

"Ready?" Harry asked, wrapping his arms around Ginny in order to side-apparate with her.

"Where to?" Ron asked.

Harry thought for a moment before replying. "Just past the corner in Knockturn." he said. "Just before the place where you tripped over that bucket."

"What were you…?" Harry placed a finger over Ginny's enquiring mouth to get a confirmation from his friend.

"Why there?" Ron asked. "Don't you think Knockturn is a little risky considering what's going on?"

"I'm guessing that it'll be empty." Harry pointed out. "Everyone will be fighting in Diagon or too much of a coward to react to our appearance."

Ron shrugged. "Your call." he said, raising his wand in preparation. "Let's go."

Barely a breath later found the three of them standing together in the shadow of a deserted street. Several less confident wizards were running away from the main street, their robes billowing behind them whilst they looked fearfully over their shoulders at the war that raged behind them.

Bright flashes and shouts made it clear that the fight was still ongoing, and the three students cautiously made their way towards the commotion to observe what was going on.

"What can we do?" Ginny asked, her eyes wide with shock at the scene in front of them, but her wand held steady with determination.

Harry frowned as he pulled his two friends down behind some crates in the entrance of Knockturn Alley and looked over the top to safely observe the scene in front of them.

The sheer number of Death Eaters were greater than he ever imagined and they seemed to be swarming all over the brightly coloured cloaks of normal witches and wizards who had wished to celebrate Christmas eve in the company of others.

What was once a gaily decorated street with fairy lights, trees and window decorations had now been changed into a war zone. Two of the three Christmas trees Harry could see were burning. The window of Madam Malkins had been smashed and Harry could see two bodies lying unmoving against the wall to The Leaky Cauldron.

"Let's get to the joke shop." Ron said, glancing nervously between the scene in front of them and his sister who was watching over Harry's shoulder with a strange fire in her eyes. "We should go and make sure they're safe."

"You really think that they're going to be there?" Ginny asked incredulously. "Just look at that." she pointed to wear two Death Eaters held a small girl in the air. "I really don't think that Fred and George would stand back to let something like that happen."

"So why did we come?" Ron asked, jumping slightly as a stray curse hit the wall above his head.

"It was your idea, Ron." Harry reminded him.

Ron's mouth fell open as he fought to think of an argument. "You didn't have to agree." he said feebly. "Besides, since when have you ever stayed on the side lines?"

"Voldemort's here somewhere. I need to be here." Harry looked over his shoulder. "Seeing you're having doubts I think you two should go back to school though."

"No way, Harry," Ginny said, "I'm not about to let anyone get hurt if I can help. Now, what's the plan?"

"Look, there's Bill." Ron said, pointing towards the distance shop front of Weasley Wizarding Whizzes. He was backed up against the shop front, fighting for his life against three wizards that had cornered him.

"Go help your brother." Harry said, his eyes lighting when he spotted another familiar face in the crowd. "If you stay to the shadows, you should be able to stun them before they even realise you're there."

"And where will you be?" Ron asked, hearing Hermione's voice in his head repeatedly tell him not to let Harry run off by himself.

"Right behind you." Harry assured him.

"Liar." Ron muttered, but Ginny just grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

"Stay safe." she said to her boyfriend as she jumped around the crates and ran low against the shop wall, her wand in her hand as she and Ron went to help their brother.

Harry shot a few curses out from behind the crates to cover their journey before refocusing on his new target.

He moved out from behind the crates, moving in the opposite direction from his friends. He stuck to the side of the fighting crowd, ducking into any available shop front and stepping around duelling wizards as he made his way to his goal.

It took him a lot less time than he thought, and he was mildly surprised when he wasn't recognised or approached as he stepped out of his hiding place and aim his wand at the back of the person he most hated.

"_Traitor_" he hissed, his wand held firm in his hand and his head lowered in slight anticipation of the reaction he was going to get.

He wasn't disappointed. He barely saw his potions professor turned before he had to duck a green beam of light that was aimed at his head.

"I knew you couldn't stay away, Potter." Snape said with a sneer as Harry rolled to one knee and stood, his wand once more aimed at the murderer's face.

"And I hope you know I'm not going to let you leave here alive." Harry said. "I swore that night that I would kill you for what you did."

"You aren't a killer, Potter." Snape said in a quiet voice, but Harry could hear the warning that came with those words.

"More's the pity." An oily voice from behind Harry said.

The world seemed to stand still for a moment. Curses seemed to freeze in mid-air, men seemed to stop what they were doing to look, and Harry failed to feel his heart beat for the next few seconds as he turned, and found himself standing in the bright red gaze of Lord Voldemort.


	38. Distraction

_Hi folks - thanks to the few of you that reviewed!!! Again, i have to apologise that this is a short chapter - so I've made the effort and I've posted two this evening for you. Hope you enjoy. xx_

Chapter 38:

In his distraction, Harry momentarily forgot about Snape standing behind him, and in that brief moment he felt an arm go around his shoulders and an unnaturally sharp end of a wand poke into his neck just underneath his chin.

He froze, mentally slapping himself for his stupidity, but also aware that even though he was currently stuck between Snape and Voldemort, he still had his wand held firmly in his right hand.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist coming here, Potter." Voldemort said, striding slowly closer. "No matter what your minders do to try and stop you."

Harry was aware that the battle had slowed around them. The number of curse flares had decreased and it seemed that everyone was waiting for what would happen between the age-old enemies.

"What are you doing here, Riddle?" Harry asked through clenched teeth, unable to move his head at all in the grip that Snape had him in.

"Just reminding everyone that I'm still around." Voldemort said, coming within an arm's reach away from the captive boy-who-lived. "I haven't seen you for so long, and it's such a shame that people think they can celebrate Christmas when I have much larger plans that need addressing."

"Like what?" Harry said. "These people mean nothing to you. Why spoil their lives when it's me you want?"

Voldemort's eyes flashed with anger, before he sighed, visibly restraining his emotion to lean in closer to the young wizard.

"Normally I would punish you for presuming anything about me, Potter." he said in a low voice that only Harry and Snape could hear. "But unfortunately you are not that far from the truth." he stepped back and spoke louder. "And how else was I going to be able to get you to come to me willingly, other than to play on your self-destructive sense of heroism?" he leant in again, and sniffed deeply through the two slits that sat in the middle of his pale, snake-like face. "You reek of Gryffindor characteristics."

Harry struggled against Snape's grip, reaching up with his left hand to try and pull his arm away and lunge forward. He winced as the sharp end of the wand pressed further into his neck and a warm trail of blood started to trickle into his shirt neck, putting a quick end to his struggling.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Harry said in a hoarse whisper, Snape's grip preventing him from talking any louder.

Voldemort smiled evilly, and looked over Harry's shoulder to Snape. "Take him." he said shortly. "We'll talk further when we have less distractions."

"NO CHANCE!"

Harry was unable to turn his head to see which of Weasley twins had shouted, but he was able to catch a glimpse of several blue bouncing balls fly into the small space between him and the Dark Wizard.

Almost instantly, a bright flash erupted between them, causing Harry and Snape to fly backwards, landing hard on the paved road, debris and shrapnel embedding itself sharply into their skin.

The explosion produced a large cloud of thick blue smoke, making it impossible to see anything in the chaos that ensued.

Harry lay on his back, partially on top of Snape, coughing as he tried to inhale a breath. His face felt as if it had been hit by a splintered plank of wood, but suddenly realised in horror that the blast had caused Snape's wand to slice deeper into his neck, causing the thin stream of blood to turn into a thick rivulet that made him feel light headed and unable to move.

He felt movement underneath him, and was rolled to the side as Snape pulled himself out from under him. He felt something tug on the side of his cloak and then he was encompassed in the blue cloud, alone, trying to breathe deep enough to calm his shock and move himself to stem the flow of blood from his neck.

He could hear panic in the smoke cloud around him, but was unaware of anyone calling his name until he felt hands on his shoulder, pulling him over onto his back again.

"Merlin, Harry." he heard, and looked up to see Remus kneeling over him. He felt a firm pressure on his neck. "HE'S HERE!" he shouted over his shoulder. "GET MEDICS."

Harry became aware of more movement around him, and the world became less blue as the smoke cleared.

"Hang in there, Harry." He heard a female voice, possibly Tonks, say. "You're going to be fine."

Harry closed his eyes against the odd feeling that was overwhelming him due to the blood loss, but soon felt someone slapping his sore cheek.

"Stay awake, Harry" he heard.

"What ever possessed you to come?"

"And how the hell did you get out of that common room?"

Harry snorted and started to smile, the shock of his wound wearing away quickly as a medi-witch leant over him and with a few wand waves had sealed his wound. He still felt weak, but his light headedness disappeared almost instantly, and the support of a bandage helped relieve the tightness of the newly sealed wound.

"No sudden moves for a little while, Mr Potter." the middle-aged medi-witch said with a smile. "And when you get back to Hogwarts have Poppy look at those cuts on your face, she should be able to heal them without too much fuss. Your dizziness should pass within a few hours, if not a blood replenishing potion should fix you right up."

Harry nodded his gratitude, wincing slightly as his wound stretched.

"Here." A hand appeared above him and he reached out, accepting the offer to help him to his feet.

He staggered slightly, but immediately felt two people on either side of him support his weight by his elbows.

"What possesses you to do such stupid things, Harry?" Charlie asked, standing beside his elder brother and his new wife, all of them looking hot and dishevelled from the battle they had just been through.

"Hereditary?" Harry suggested looking to Remus who stood a little distance away. His voice came out as a tight croak, and he put his hand up to his bandaged throat in surprise.

"Oh, Harry!" Ginny said, stepping around Ron to give him a hug. "You are such an idiot."

"But you love me." Harry croaked. He looked to the twins who each had hold of his elbows, turning his head slowly in order not to reopen his wound. "Thanks for the distraction guys." he said.

"No problem honorary brother of ours." Fred said with a grin.

"But we'll expect another Christmas present!" George added.

"Where did they all go?" Harry asked, looking around at Diagon Alley, taking in the injured bodies and red-robed aurors who were going around assisting those who needed medical attention.

"They all disapparated when the Distraction Bombs hit." Ron said. "Even Snape. We were half worried he was going to take you with him after what You-Know-Who said."

Harry frowned, but didn't feel his voice was up to speaking his thoughts out loud.

"But why didn't he?" Bill asked, asking the same question Harry himself was mentally asking. "He must've had a portkey of some sort if You-Know-Who ordered him to take you."

"He's probably strong enough to apparate with another anyhow." Tonks said. "But it still doesn't answer the question of why he didn't."

"Unless the distraction bombs injured him." Fred suggested. "They did pack a punch."

"Yeah, sorry about that Harry." George added, indicating the small nicks and scratches on the boy's face. "We didn't get time to test them properly. We thought they would disintegrate when activated."

Harry shook his head, indicating that their apology wasn't needed. "I'm still here aren't I?" he asked with a whisper. "Besides, I think I sheltered Snape from most of the blast." he grimaced. "Unfortunately."

Remus looked around the devastation in the alley. "I guess we'd better stick around and help out for a bit." he said. "But I want you to go back to Hogwarts and get checked out by Madame Pomfrey." he said to Harry and the black-haired youth felt Fred attached a Safety Pin to his cloak.

"We'll go with him," Ron said, indicating himself and his sister. "We can let mum know that everyone is okay. And I think that maybe we should let Hermione know that everyone is safe before she starts to panic with the evening edition of the Prophet that they're bound to print."

"Wise idea." Remus said. "We'll all return to the school later this evening, and maybe after all this excitement tonight we might just be able to celebrate tomorrow without any disturbance."

Harry frowned at his father's friend.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked.

Fred laughed. "He thinks you just jinxed Christmas for the lot of us." he said.


	39. Christmas Day

Chapter 39

"Merry Christmas, Harry." Ron said, throwing a parcel onto the middle of Harry's bed.

Harry refused to open his eyes, hoping that the brief moment of ignorance would be enough to convince his mind that it wasn't yet time to wake up. But the movement he could hear in the rest of the room interested him enough to crack open one eye.

"Oh, so you are awake!" Ron said, sitting on the edge of his bed, his large feet lifted slightly from the cold floor of the dormitory, and a couple of chocolate frogs held in one hand. "I heard you move, but wasn't quite sure."

Harry smiled a little at his friend, still feeling pretty washed out from the night before. He stretched under his bed covers, feeling a couple of his bones crack into place and the various bruises and scrapes he had received stretch tightly across his skin.

"What time is it?" he asked, his voice slightly larger than the previous evening but still sounding a little strained.

"Pretty late." Ron admitted in a disappointed voice for Christmas day was most likely the only day that Ron didn't need encouragement to get out of bed. "The twins have just gone downstairs, and I think Charlie fell asleep on the sofa in the Common room. He wasn't up here when I woke up." He indicated Dean's and Seamus' bed that looked like they had been slept in.

"What time did they get in?" Harry asked, frowning slightly as he tried to remember how he got to bed.

"Early this morning." Ron replied, coming across the couple of steps between the beds and curling up on the end of Harry's mattress. "You fell asleep on Ginny's lap downstairs once Pomfrey gave you some pain-relieving potion. Mum levitated you up here once we knew you were sleeping soundly enough not to be disturbed, and I guess after all the excitement you've managed to sleep through until lunch."

"It's lunch?" Harry asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Yeah," Ron said, crestfallen. "We've missed Christmas breakfast."

Harry laughed slightly, and looked pointedly at Ron's hands. "I thought you always ate chocolate for breakfast at Christmas?"

"Oh no." Ron said. "Chocolate just keeps me going until we get downstairs."

Harry shook his head with a smile, and joined Ron in getting changed ready to go downstairs. It didn't take the boys long to get ready and soon both of them were walking down the stairs to the welcoming well-wishes of their closest friends and family.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked as he gave Harry a warm embrace.

"Not too bad." he said, and elaborated on Remus' look. "My head aches a little and I have a tight throat. But other than that, pretty good."

He looked around the common room, watching the Weasley's laugh and joke as they settled around the tree that was decorated in one corner of the common room. It may have just been Harry's slightly dampened mood, but he felt that the red-headed family weren't as jovial as he had seen them in previous years. But he guessed that was to be expected.

"What was the damage?" he asked quietly, wanting to get the bad news out of the way.

"Most of Diagon Alley was damaged in some way, but nothing non-reparable. The twins have a lot of hard work ahead of them. Some of their inventions reacted badly to the curses thrown and blew up half the shop. Theirs was probably the worst damage."

"You think Voldemort was targeting their shop?" Harry asked.

Remus knew what was going through Harry's head and replied. "I don't think it really mattered what he targeted." Remus said. "Given the season and the fact that Diagon Alley was so busy, any attack would have brought out the Order and he knows that the most of the Order are close friends of yours. Anything he would've done would've convinced you to come running."

Harry sniffed. "You think I'm too predictable?"

Remus smiled and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "I think you are your parent's son." he said. "Barely a couple of weeks after you were born, Voldemort attacked a small muggle village for no reason other than to give himself some entertainment. It took both Sirius and I several restraining spells to convince your parents not to go help. Even though they loved you so much, they just felt that they had to go help the others as well."

Harry nodded. "Did anyone get injured last night?" he asked.

Remus shrugged slightly. "A couple of people died." he admitted. "No one you know. A few of your school friends were there I think, but all are safe albeit with a couple of knocks and cuts. All-in-all I think we were pretty lucky that Voldemort was more focused on getting you than killing half-bloods and non-supporters."

Harry nodded. "I think my head hurt last night whilst I was sleeping." he said, trying to remember the strange dreams he had had. "I guess that he wasn't too happy that Snape let me go."

Remus shrugged. "And to be honest, none of us can think of a reason why Severus would let you go." he admitted. "Unless the blast from the twins' Distraction Bombs injured him in some way. But as you said, you were blocking him from most of the explosion."

Harry looked up when he heard his name being called and saw Ron and Ginny beckoning him over to the sofa where they were sitting, holding up a present for him to open.

"Just forget about it all for one day." Remus advised. "Have some fun, and relax. Nothing will happen today."

Harry sent a withering look towards his older friend, causing Remus to laugh. "Just go." the werewolf said, pushing Harry's shoulder. "I'm going to meet Tonks and will be back up in a couple of hours."

Harry nodded. "Have fun." he said and went over to the waiting arms of his girlfriend who gave him only a quick hug before holding out her hands.

"What?" Harry asked with a laugh. "Do I not get to open one first?"

"No chance!" Ginny replied. "You've been teasing me about my present for weeks, I'm not going to wait one more minute."

Harry shook his head and pointed a finger at his girlfriend. "Correction." he said. "You've been pestering me about your present for weeks. I've done nothing to encourage you."

"Don't you see, Harry?" Fleur asked, from where she was sat on Bill's lap. "That in itself is enough to spike the interest in a girl."

"Hey, the boy is more of a ladies man than he thinks." George said with a laugh.

"What's your skills, lover boy?" Fred asked, leaning over the back of the sofa to ruffle Harry's hair.

"No skills." Harry said. "Just genetics." He reached into his cloak pocket, and pulled out a small box with a red bow on top. "For the lady." he said with a smile.

His girlfriend gave a very un-Ginny-like squeal, causing Harry to wince, and pulled the top of the box, revealing a mound of torn-up, coloured tissue paper.

"What are you playing at, Potter?" Ron muttered from behind his friend.

Harry just smirked at him and turned to watch Ginny pull a small silver key from the paper packaging.

She held it up with a question in her eyes.

"Ooh, she holds the key to his heart!" George said with a laugh, and he and his twin started swooning dramatically over each other.

Harry just shrugged one shoulder. "Dobby!" he called, and the enthusiastic house elf popped into the Common room, one hand resting on top of a wooden box.

"Happy Christmas, Harry Potter, sir." he said excitedly.

"To you too, Dobby." Harry said, and held out a small coloured wrapped parcel to him.

"Thank you, Harry Potter, sir." the small elf said, his big ears flapping slightly, and with a small bow to everyone else in the room he disappeared with a small pop.

Ginny looked interestedly as Harry stood up and reached into the top of the box.

"Don't I get to open it?" she asked.

"Of course." Harry replied, reaching in a pulling out a silver cage with a small padlock hanging from the door.

"Oh joy," Ginny said. "An empty cage."

"Not quite." Harry said. "Look a little closer."

Ginny peered into the cage and gave another squeal as she noticed a small bundle of feathers on the floor of the cage.

"He's adorable!" she said, quickly unlocking the cage door and reaching in to pick up the small creature.

"He'll grow quickly." Harry explained as Ginny stroked the downy brown feathers. "I think he's an orphan. I found him with Hedwig a couple of weeks ago. Seemed to me like she's been using her motherly instincts and saved his life. She seemed happy when I suggested you become his owner, and I knew you wanted one so…"

"Oh Harry, he's so cute!" Ginny said with a smile. "Thank you."

She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before crooning over her new pet.

"Here, Harry." Molly Weasley said, and Harry turned to see her handing him a folded piece of parchment. "This fell out of your pocket."

"Thanks." he said barely giving the parchment a glance before putting it back into his cloak pocket.

With a start he recognised the handwriting that had scribed his name over one folded edge of the parchment. He half pulled the paper out of his pocket again to examine it, wondering when Snape would've written his name on the outside of a piece of paper and more importantly, when he would've put such a letter in his pocket.

He quickly concluded that the letter hadn't come from the previous school year. Not only would have the cloak been cleaned since then, but it would also have been replaced by the all the new clothes Harry had to buy when he grew so suddenly over the summer.

He thought back over the happenings of the night before, the only time that he had seen Snape since that night he had cursed Dumbledore. He remembered how the ex-potions professor had held him tight to his chest, wand cutting into his vulnerable neck. With a sudden thought he figured that the letter might explain why Snape let him go so easily, but then mentally shook his head when he realised that a cold-hearted Death Eater like Snape would never lower himself enough to explain his actions to a Gryffindor.

"Hey, Harry!"

Harry looked up from his thoughts, deciding to himself that he would read the letter in the privacy of his dorm-room later as he saw Bill holding out a present to him from himself and Fleur.

"You were drifting again." Ron muttered as Harry unwrapped a book on advanced duelling techniques.

"Like you haven't been staring out the window yourself." Harry muttered back, flipping to the contents page without even looking at his friend.

"I was just wondering if the weather was going to stay nice enough for us to grab a game of Quidditch!" Ron said defensively.

Harry glanced at the leaded window and frowned as he saw sleety-rain pounding against the thick glass.

"No chance." He replied. "And I don't think Pig is going to stand a chance getting a letter through to you from Hermione."

"What makes you think I was waiting for a letter from her?"

Harry just sighed and balled up the wrapping paper he had just pulled off a thick scarf with stitches so large it could only have been knitted by someone the size of Hagrid.

"Okay, okay." Ron said, taking a deep breath and turning on the sofa so that he was facing his friend. "Look, Harry. Hermione and I didn't want to tell you so soon, but we're… well… you see, we're…"

"Going out?" Harry suggested, a smile playing at his lips as he threw the ball of paper into the burning log fire.

"It's not what you think!" Ron said pleadingly, one hand on Harry's arm and the other waving frantically. "It just happened, and we did try to keep it secret…"

"…Not very well." Harry snorted slightly, though Ron didn't seem to notice.

"…We just didn't want it to seem that we weren't dedicated to the cause. You mean so much to both of us, Harry, and we didn't…"

"Ron…"

"…we just thought you might feel left out…"

"Ron!"

"…and what with the hunt and everything we didn't want to…"

"RON!"

The room went silent as Harry shouted at his friend, causing his ranting to stop mid-flow and the red-haired boy's ears to turn red.

"I know you are both true to the end." Harry said with a smile. "I'm glad you two are together."

"Really?" Ron asked hesitantly.

Harry smiled. "It was about time if you ask me." he said, turning back to the pile of presents and picking one out to hand to Ron.

"What do you mean by that?" Ron asked, absently taking the present off Harry and starting to peel away at the paper.

"He means that he has been feeling guilty about spending time with me and leaving you two alone." Ginny said, leaning over the back of the sofa and wrapping her arms around Harry's neck, mindful of his recent scarring.

"Hey, everyone!" she said loudly, though the room's attention was already trained on them. "Ron's finally admitted his feeling's for Hermione!"

Everyone started applauding and Ron's head dropped down in embarrassment, his face colouring to match his hair and his ears.

"Was it really that obvious?" he muttered.

"Just look." Harry said, indicating Ron's half opened present.

Ron finished pulling the paper from the rectangular gift and Harry watched as a small smile appeared on his face when he saw the gift.

"When did you take this?" he asked, looking up to his friend.

"Last summer." Harry said. "We were taking a picnic up near my house and Hermione had brought that camera, remember? I found it in the picnic basket when I was unpacking. I had Colin develop picture for me earlier this term."

Ron watched as he and Hermione sat next to each other on the grass in the photo stealing secret glances at each other, their fingertips just shy of touching in the grass and each one seeming to start a conversation and then think twice before speaking.

"And you knew from then?" he asked Harry.

The boy-who-lived laughed. "Gosh no." he said. "We knew a long time before that."

"We?" Ron asked cluelessly and the room laughed.

"Hermione's got the same present." Harry explained. "I was hoping that seeing yourselves through our eyes might make you realise the truth, but I guess you both beat me to it."

He smiled as the rest of the room laughed, supportively slapping his embarrassed friend on his shoulder. "It's a good thing, Ron." he said with a smile. "Now, where's my present?"


	40. Snape's Letter

_My extreme apologies for not updating over the winter holidays - I had the worst set of shift patterns imaginable, and what with squeezing work and social life... the story fell a bit flat. Enjoy tonights updates, and BIG THANKS to those who review - I really appreciate your support! xxx_

Chapter 40:

It wasn't until late that evening that Harry was able to pull himself away from the festive celebrations to find a quiet spot to read Snape's letter.

Ron had rushed off when Pig had finally arrived with Hermione's letter. The tiny owl's feathers had been all ruffled the wrong way and he had shivered uncontrollably until he had thawed out enough to start whizzing his way around the room again. Remus had arrived soon after with Tonks, and even Dumbledore paid a visit, walking into one of the old portraits above the log fire and wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

The afternoon had been spent playing silly games and sharing stories before they had made their way down to the Great Hall for a spectacular Christmas dinner shared with some of the remaining Hogwarts school staff and Hagrid, but what with full-bellies and a roaring fire to sit in front of, Harry soon found it easy to slip away once everyone was dozing or reading the new books they had received that day.

He pulled the folded parchment from his pocket and cast a secrecy charm around the room before flopping on his bed to read it.

_Mister Potter, _

_If you are reading this letter then we have crossed paths once more - probably due to some attack or plan the Dark Lord has constructed to bring you into his clutches. And no doubt you would've walked straight into it… just as any Gryffindor would._

Harry started bristling with anger, asking himself why he was reading the letter in the first place, but at the same time curious as to what Snape had to say.

_I have much to explain to you, Harry Potter. There is much about your… _our_ past that has been kept from you. Partly to keep you safe but also to protect myself in this war. I have no misconceptions that your blood is currently boiling, and your sense of righteous anger is wondering how I could expect anything after what you saw on the tower that night. All I ask is that you meet with me alone - at a time and place of your choice - to discuss such matters. _

_I will come armed only with my wand and an explanation. You are certainly owed one for these past years. Once I have said my piece, the rest will be up to you. I leave this offer in your curious hands and await your response. Just consider that what I have to say may have a profound effect on the outcome of this war… I have information that you need to survive, Harry. _

_For the first time sincerely, _

_Severus Snape. _

Harry let out a long breath and chewed on his bottom lip. He had a good mind to tear up the letter and forget that Snape had even written it. Surely there was some trap attached to the words that were written. He gave a short, sharp laugh. As if he would go to meet with one of Voldemort's inner-circle at all, let alone without back up.

But even with Dumbledore's death replaying itself in his mind Harry couldn't help feel that there was more to the letter.

_Harry Potter._ That must have been the first time the potions master had ever referred to him with his first name, and twice in one letter was even more of a shock. All his previous school years he had been spoken to as "Potter" or with some disparaging comment about his father.

He read the letter again, and then a third time, but still he couldn't work out what it was about the letter that made him want to act on it. With a sudden thought of inspiration he held the parchment within both his palms, waiting for the tingle that indicated some sort of Impulsion charm had been placed on it, but there was no indication of magic of any sort.

All his school life he had wondered why Snape had treated him in such a foul way, but had just put it down to being because of the shared hatred between him and his father. What was this big secret that Snape had been hiding from him?

With a sudden movement he gripped the parchment in his fist, realising that if there was a secret that Snape had been holding from him, then there would be at least one other wizard who would be aware of it.

He flew down the stairs, waking a couple of the slumbering Christmas celebrators as he took several long strides through the common room.

"Where are you going, Harry?" Charlie asked, putting down his new book of Dragon-Egg identification.

"Just to see Dumbledore." he said over his shoulder. "I need to ask him something. I won't be long."

The distance across the school took a frustratingly long time in Harry's opinion, the stairs constantly moving the wrong direction just as stepped onto them and doors sticking due to the cold weather.

When he finally made his way past the stone gargoyle that guarded the Head's office and made his way up the stairs he had let his anger take control and his threw open the office door, already turning as he walked into the room in order to confront his mentor.

"What have you been keeping from me?" he asked furiously, shaking the fist that contained the parchment at the portrait.

"What on Earth do you mean?" Dumbledore asked, looking shocked as he pulled a brightly coloured hat from his head.

"This letter is from Snape." Harry said, pulling open the parchment and showing it to the headmaster. "He says that there is a secret that has been kept from me, the reason why he always behaved the way he did and something that can help in this war. Something about his letter makes me think you know what he's talking about."

Dumbledore sighed. "I don't know of any secret that has been kept from you, Harry" he said honestly. "I certainly haven't kept anything from you since our training last year. All the information I gave you about the Horcruxes was all that I had and the rest, as I said in our meetings, was when we go from fact to speculation. However," he held up one hand as Harry started to object. "I do know why he has written to you in order to make contact."

"I'm sure this is when you come out with how he has acted upon your wishes from the start." Harry said shortly. "About how you ordered him up to the top of the Astronomy Tower, and how you made him curse you and send you flying to your death." He felt hot tears welling up into his eyes. "I refuse to believe that he would do that on your orders, sir!"

Dumbledore looked sad as he looked down at Harry. "Alas, the words you have just spoken are the same as those I would've said myself, Harry, and I'm sure you wouldn't say them if you didn't suspect. Snape was always on our side, and still fights on our behalf. But without me leading the Order, his only contact would be with the one who's leading the fight. I can only assume that he has some information that you need to know."

Harry shook his head. "Since I've come to Hogwarts, you've always defended that, that snake!" he ignored the disapproving look from the portrait. "What is it about him that make you trust him. After all he has done! HE KILLED YOU!"

"I WAS DYING ANYWAY!" Dumbledore shouted back, both hands firmly planted on his painted desk and leaning over, his blue eyes glinting dangerously as Harry took a step back in defence. "I was an old man, Harry." he said, softer than before. "I was never going to see the end of this war, however much it might hurt you must understand that."

Harry swiped at his wet eyes and looked down at the floor.

"Harry, please believe me, Severus is not an evil man. If anything he should be admired, or even pitied, for life has never been easy for him. Like every man he has made some wrong choices, and choosing to treat you like he has over the past years is probably one of the worst, and possibly the only mistake I have never forgiven him for. You both deserve so much more from life, and maybe have a lot more in common than you'd both care to realise."

"So you want me to go see him?" Harry asked quietly, not looking up at the portrait.

"I ask you to do what you feel is right." Dumbledore said. "That letter _has_ come from Severus, and I can assure you that he wouldn't have sent it unless he had good reason. He may have to play along with Riddle's tricks but he would not initiate anything to trap you. No one is forcing you to meet him."

"Wasn't it you that said that life is never easy?" Harry asked after several moments of deep contemplation. "That sometimes the right thing to do is not always the easiest?"

He looked up to see a sparkle of pride in Dumbledore's eyes.

"Go prepared, Harry." he said and Harry nodded, looking once more at the parchment in his hand before walking back out the office door.


	41. Lady Ravenclaw

_Howdy folks - hope things are well for all of you. Things might be changing big time in my life at the moment - but hoping to keep a semi-regular update going with this story. I know I'm terrible for updates, and for that i do apologise. I do love it when you review though, and many thanks to Reading-Rider and Adge9631 for reviewing as regularly as I post a chapter. It's great to hear that some of you like my story._

Chapter 41

Compared to the journey to the Head's office, the trip back to Gryffindor common room seemed unnaturally short. Harry had travelled absentmindedly, his thoughts wrapped up in the parchment holding Snape's request to meet again.

By the time he walked through the portrait into the common room he had made a decision to start the search for another horcrux as soon as possible. Once an attempt had been made to find and destroy it, he could then contact Snape to arrange a secret meeting, without the Order or his friends knowing about it. If it were to go wrong then Dumbledore would at least know what his intentions had been.

He walked to where Ron was lying sprawled over one of the armchairs in front of the fire, and gently flicked his shoulder to get his attention.

He jerked his head silently to the door and stood up, intending to lead his friend to a quiet place to talk about the horcrux. He was brought up short by his girlfriend standing in his way, her arms crossed and looking up into his face with an accusing look.

"Going somewhere, Harry?" She asked.

Harry glanced around the room, making sure that no one else had seen them, before taking her arm and continuing his way through the portrait door into the corridor.

"What's going on, Harry?" Ginny asked.

"I want to start our search today." Harry said to Ron, partially ignoring his girlfriend's question.

Ron looked in shock at his sister. "Does she…?" he started to ask.

"Not yet." Harry replied quickly. "But there is no reason why she can't come with us to look at it."

"Look at what?" Ginny asked.

"Ravenclaw's diadem." Harry said.

"What do you want to look at that for?"

"We're trying to find it." Ron said.

Ginny looked a little confused. "But it's been lost for years. There have been no records of it since the school was built."

"Harry likes doing the impossible." Ron replied, following his friend as Harry started walking away.

"Are you ever going to explain to me what's going on?" Ginny asked, walking quickly to follow them. "Why are you looking for Ravenclaw's diadem anyway?"

"Because it's pretty?" Ron suggested, and promptly got hit on the arm by his sister.

"Seriously?" Harry said. "We think it might not be quite what it seems. But we need to find it to make sure."

"Does this have something to do with your quest?" Ginny asked.

"It pretty much is the quest." Ron said, and got hit in the other arm by Harry. "What's with Ronald beating today?" he asked. "It's supposed to be Christmas. You know, the season of good-will to all men?"

"I don't want Ginny completely involved yet." Harry said, then sent an apologetic look to his girlfriend. "But there is no reason why you can't help us our search, as long as you don't tell anyone else."

"Your secret's safe with me." Ginny swore. "So, where are we headed?"

"Ravenclaw Common Room." Ron said. "Apparently there is a portrait of Rowena Ravenclaw in there that shows her wearing her tiara thingy."

Ginny frowned sceptically at the boys. "You mean you're searching for something and you don't even know what it looks like?"

"We don't know what it looks like _yet_." Harry corrected her. "Hence we're doing some research first." He stopped in front of a portrait of a young witch sitting in the shade of a tree reading a book.

"Hello." he said, gaining her attention. "I was told that you could grant us access to see Ravenclaw's portrait?"

The young witch looked up from her book to give the trio a scrutinising glance. "And what makes you think that I would know where it is?" she asked.

"Well," Harry said. "I did some research and found out that the only life-sized portrait of Ravenclaw is hung on the wall of the Common room that you are the door-keeper to."

"Well," the witch said, shuffling in her seat and closing her book, mindfully putting a bookmark in to mark her position. "If you have done so much research then you would know that a password is required to pass said door-keeper."

"We have gone one step further than that." Ron said. "We know what that password is."

The witch quirked one daintily painted eyebrow. "No one likes a smartass." she said. "What is it?"

"_Resplendent_." Harry said clearly, and the witch nodded appreciatively.

"You _have_ done your research." she said, swinging open the door that was hidden by her portrait. "Mind that you only look at the portrait. My clever eagles may be renowned for their intellect, but they are defensive of their nest."

"Of course." Harry said respectively, and stepped through into the common room.

"Well, it's better than the Slytherin's common room." Ron said appreciatively, staring down a small set of stairs into the cosy room. "Though no where near our standards."

"Since when have you been in the Slytherin common room?" Ginny asked.

"Second year." Ron said. "Hermione brewed Polyjuice potion so we could sneak in. We were hoping Malfoy could tell us who the Slytherin heir was."

"But of course it wasn't anyone in Slytherin." Ginny pointed out, and by the look on her face Harry was sure she was recalling the long empty spaces where she had been acting under Voldemort's influence.

"No. We didn't find out anything with that little adventure." Harry admitted. "But Hermione's hair balls kept us amused for weeks."

Ron laughed and quickly smothered his mouth with the look his sister gave him. "Don't tell her I did that." he said. "She's still a little sensitive about being a human-sized cat."

"So where's this portrait?" Ginny asked, looking around the comfortable room which plenty of deep bucket seats set around tables.

"I guess that must be her." Harry said, taking a few steps down into the room and pointing out a portrait of a lady dressed in blue, set in the middle of a deep-set bookcase.

"Rowena Ravenclaw?" Ginny asked a little tentatively in the presence of one of the Hogwarts' four.

The witch turned her regal head, long brown hair flowing around her shoulders. She scrutinized the trio then smile a knowing smile. "Hello, students of Gryffindor." she said with the softest of voices. She glanced around the empty room. "I trust you were invited into this room?"

"In a fashion." Ron replied. "Dumbledore gave us permission."

"Ah, Albus." Rowena said his name with a nod. "A wizard with talents of every house if ever there was one." She looked at the trio again. "Prewitt?" she asked.

Ginny shook her head. "Weasley." she said. "Our families combined a few generations ago."

The portrait nodded again, with an amused smile on her face. "Red head with red head?" she asked. "A fierce family, I'm sure. But no doubt loyal to the end. At least to each other."

She looked to Harry. "And I know all about you, Master Potter."

"Who doesn't?" Ron said, slapping his friend on his shoulder. "This boy was famous from the moment he was born."

"Not quite." Ravenclaw said with a little disdain. "Exaggeration can lead to so many lies." she added with a sigh. "How may I assist you, Master Potter?" she asked.

"We are interested in your diadem." Harry said, indicating the small band of silver and diamonds that sat securely admist her curls.

Rowena raised one hand and touched her treasure. "And what do you find so interesting about it?" she asked warily.

Harry glanced around the room, knowing that the Ravenclaw dormitories were empty for the holidays, but still cautious in case someone might be there.

"I was wondering if any one else had been asking about it recently?"

The portrait was thoughtful for a few brief moments. "There was the Lovegood child." she said. "Only a few weeks ago as a matter of fact." the portrait smiled. "Such a strange young lady, but with a very open and absorbing mind."

"Luna is our friend." Harry said. "When we couldn't find any pictures of you in the library we asked her if there was a portrait of you here."

"But didn't explain why." Rowena stated, and Harry nodded.

"There aren't many people who know why." he explained.

"Including me." Ginny added, with just a little hint of bitterness that made Harry send her a small warning look.

The portrait nodded. "There was one other." she said. "Not so long ago by my years, but to you it would be an age."

"His name?" Harry asked eagerly.

"He never gave his name." she said. "A well spoken young man, too old to be a student at the school, and certainly not in my house whilst he attended. I suspect that he was in Salazar's house, there was something ambitious about him."

"And snake-like." Ron added.

Rowena looked disapprovingly down at the young man. "A Slytherin's attributes are based on ambition and the desire to succeed. Just because some characters throughout history have tainted those noble characteristics by the things they have done, does not mean that a Slytherin is anything less than yourself. Remember, exaggeration leads to lies."

"Did he ask you where you left it?" Harry asked.

The portrait nodded. "Though I never left it anywhere." she said. "I gave it away."

"To who?"

"Whom." the portrait corrected. "And I gave it to my dear friend Helga. She came up with this beautiful idea of hiding an heirloom of each of ours in the school, empowering each with some of our magic. This magic would be worthy enough to be called to one of our own house should it ever be needed."

"Gryffindor left his sword." Harry prompted, and Rowena nodded.

"I have heard of your adventures with that sword." she said with a small frown. "Of course Salaza, the ambitious one, had to make this idea bigger, more elaborate and built his own chamber without us knowing."

"What did Helga leave?" Ginny asked, intrigued by a story of Hogwarts that was not well known.

"A charm bracelet." the portrait replied. "She was very much in the belief that those most loyal should be just as protected as those they try to protect."

"I thought she had a cup?" Ron said, thinking of the Horcrux.

Rowena sighed deeply, obviously trying to stay her patience. "We were alive for many years." she informed Ron, at the same time Ginny shoved him with her elbow. "In her lifetime Helga possessed many more belongings than a mere chalice."

"And even though he made his Chamber, did Slytherin leave something else in the school?"

Rowena nodded and smiled again as she remembered. "Something that might shock you, actually." she said. "It was a portrait of his parents, unmoving, as muggle-borns were painted in those days. He said that, no matter how ambitious a wizard could be, he should never forget where he came from."

"Slytherin was a muggle-born?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Did you tell Tom that?" Harry asked.

"Tom?" the portrait queried.

"Tom Riddle was the name of the young man who asked you about your diadem." Harry explained.

"Yes, I did tell him." she said. "Though he didn't seem happy to hear it. Tried telling me that you should never look to the past, but always to look to the future, to what you could achieve, and how great you could become."

"Sounds like Tom." Harry said. "So where did Helga put all your treasures?"

Rowena shrugged. "I'll tell you the same as I told him. It was Helga's project. She was so set upon leaving something that encompassed each of us in the school that we let her organise it. She swore that it would be kept in a place where no one would find it."

Harry's mind suddenly slipped into gear, and he took a step closer to the portrait, staring at the diadem. "Is that exactly how she said it?" he asked, not quite knowing where the question would lead him, but knowing that the wording was vitally important.

Rowena smiled again. "It was." she said. "And you seem to have something on your mind, Master Potter!"

Harry bit his bottom lip, and rubbed at the bandage the was still attached to the side of his neck. "I don't really know." he said. "But I'm sure that…" he shook his head. "But I don't really remember."

Rowena nodded knowingly. "It'll come in time." she said. "And if I'm not mistaken, then I would say today is Christmas day, and you really shouldn't spend your time chasing history on a day when you should be rejoicing your own lives."

"Thank you." Harry said, trying to make it sound genuine though annoyed with the niggling feeling that his mind knew something but not letting his conscious know.


	42. The Room of Requirement

Chapter 42:

"Harry!"

The boy-who-lived snapped out the trance he had slipped into and looked to where Hermione was trying to catch his attention next to Ginny.

"Where have you been?" she asked. "You've been floating away with the fairies for about an hour now."

"Sorry," he said, stretching his hands out in front of him and trying to pay attention to the revision session that was going on before him. "What did I miss?"

"The whole of chapter twenty-eight of charms and all twenty different uses of Moonwort in poison detection." Ginny supplied.

"So not a lot then." he supplied.

"And what did we miss?" Hermione asked. "What were you thinking about?"

"Just thinking about the diadem." Harry said. "I know we've search pretty much everywhere over the past couple of weeks, but I'm sure there must be something we're missing."

"Why are you so sure that the diadem is what you are looking for?" Ginny asked. "I mean, if it hasn't been found for so many years, is there really that high a chance that Voldemort found it?"

"I just have this feeling he did." Harry said. "He would've wanted some sort of possession from Ravenclaw, and I have a feeling he wouldn't have rested until he had one."

"Unless he found another item from anther one of the founders." Hermione suggested. "What's to say he took what he could and we're looking in the wrong place?"

Harry shook his head. "I'll keep thinking on it." he said. "But maybe you're right about looking at other things." He leant over the table and pulled Ginny's copy of Advanced Potion-Making towards him. "Do you want me to test you on the Moonwart uses?"

"Sure." Ginny said. "That would be great."

Harry flipped the book to the right page, half heartedly looking to the margins for the usual tight hand script of the half-blood prince.

"So, what do you combine Moonwart to when mixing the first…"

He froze, his mind feeling light as it spun out of control as he suddenly realised what it was that had been evading his thoughts for the past two weeks.

He ran his finger down the yellowing margin of the page, remembering a similar book that had the tiny scrawl of a dedicated scholar covering most available spaces.

"Harry?"

He last remembered racing to the Gryffindor dormitory and grabbing the copy from his dormitory, switching the covers with Ron's copy before running to the one place that he could hide it and he would know where it would be safe. The one place no one would be able to find it.

_I need a place to hide my book._

"Harry!"

"The Room of Requirement." he said with wonder, closing the potions book and running his hand over the cover. "It's in the room of requirement!"

"What is?"

He looked up to see both Hermione and Ginny staring at him quizzically.

"The diadem." he said, excitedly. "I remember seeing it when I hid the half-blood prince's copy of Advance Potion-Making last year after that incident with Malfoy."

"And where did you hide it?" Hermione asked, not too sure she wanted to hear about that cursed book again.

"The Room of Requirement!" Harry said again, standing up. "Hermione, go and get that vial of venom. And if you see Ron then grab him. That place was as big as a cathedral and I'm not too sure that I remember where I put it. We'll need all the help we can get to find it."

"Put what? The book?"

"No. I mean yes!" Harry took a deep breath, trying to reign in his excitement enough to explain. "I remember hiding the book in a cupboard, and I put this head thing on top of it, with a wig and a tiara, so that I'd remember where I put it."

"A tiara?" Ginny asked, beginning to realise where this was going.

"Hermione," Harry leaned over the table and looked into his friend's eyes. "I've held the diadem in my hands."

Hermione looked at him a little sceptically. "Are you sure? Didn't you feel anything…?"

Harry shook his head. "It was before this summer." he said, as if it explained all. "Before I had that growth spurt and my own magic burst through, or whatever it was that you said happened to me last year."

Hermione looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding, a sparkle in her eye. "It seems too easy." she said slowly, trying to add caution to the situation.

Harry laughed. "That's what Ron said last time." he pointed out and Hermione pulled a face.

"Let me go find him." she said. "We'll meet you in the corridor by the tapestry."

Harry nodded. "C'mon, Ginny. You'll love this place."

"I'm allowed to come?" she asked.

"Sure." Harry said. "There shouldn't be anything dangerous in there. And I wasn't exaggerating with the size. Your brothers would be lost for a month in there!"

Ginny's face seemed to glow when she realised that Harry was letting her into the search, and took his outstretched hand as he offered it to her, releasing a small squeak as he pulled her out of her chair and towards the entrance to the library.

Within minutes they had arrived breathlessly at the portrait of Barnabus the Barmy and Harry strode up and down the corridor three times, picturing the room of forgotten treasures in his mind as he did so.

"Ready for this?" he asked and Ginny nodded her head as Harry pushed the handle down on the door and swung it open.

He almost exhaled with a relieved sigh, not really aware that he had been holding his breath in the anticipation that the room wouldn't be there, or wouldn't be the same one he had been in before.

"Wow." Ginny exclaimed, stepping through the door and standing beside Harry who was careful to make sure the door stayed open for the others. "I never expected anything like this could be hidden in Hogwarts!"

"The place where you can hide things, that would always be safe, and may never be found." Harry looked at the large room with piles of old and broken treasures that people had hidden over the years. "Helga Hufflepuff's addition to the school."

"She was a strange but wonderful woman!" A voice from behind them said. "I suppose she meant this place to be a safety shelter for the students, in case the school should ever be attacked."

Harry and Ginny turned to see Luna and Neville standing there.

At Harry's look, Neville explained their arrival. "Hermione found us in the common room." he said. "She said you needed a hand searching for something, and to meet you here." He stepped into the room next to his friends and looked with defeat at the enormity of the task at hand. "I hope you have some idea where to look."

"Well, I've cut it down to this one room." Harry explained, and described the diadem, leaving out the reasons why they needed to find it.

"Is it dangerous?" Luna asked, in her vacant but strangely perceptive way.

Harry hesitated for a brief moment, earning looks from his friends. "Not the item itself." he said. "I have already touched it once. I think. And I'm pretty sure nothing would've happened to it since then…"

"But maybe we should call you over before we touch it." Neville said, finishing Harry's sentence and looked at all the piles of hidden treasures in front of him. "_If_ we find it!"

"We will." Hermione said positively, entering the room with Ron who was carrying her backpack over one shoulder and a hamper basket in his other hand.

"Whoa!" he said, taking in the size of the room. "This place is immense!"

"Good job we brought supplies." Hermione said, indicating the hamper that Ron placed on the floor near the door. "I suspected that this wouldn't be as easy as you thought it would be." she said to Harry. "It never is with you."

"What if I walked straight up to the cupboard where I hid the book and found the diadem still sat above it?"

Hermione waved a hand. "Go ahead!" she said.

Harry turned to the room and immediately felt his confidence die. "Maybe we ought to split into pairs." he suggested.

"That's what I figured." Hermione said with a smug smile. "We'll go this way." she said, indicating left.

"We'll go this way." Luna indicated right and taking Neville's hand, making the boy blush.

"Which leaves us this way." Ginny said, indicating a little trail that led through the piles in front of them.

"We'll meet back here in one hour." Harry said. "Call out or send up sparks if you find anything that resembles the diadem."

Within minutes he and Ginny were wandering in and out of the seemingly endless corridors of broken broomsticks, damaged furniture and old magazines.

"So, have you ever thought about what you are going to do after the war?" Ginny asked as Harry pulled open the door of an old cupboard, just to make sure his potions book wasn't inside.

"Not really." Harry replied. "I've always been realistic enough to think that I probably won't survive it."

Ginny slapped him on the arm, before grabbing him and spinning him round. "Don't be stupid, Harry," she said. "you're a survivor. You wouldn't have gotten this far if you weren't determined to survive."

"I'm beginning to think I'm just lucky." Harry replied moodily, wishing that he had more of the Felix Felicius potion he had won from Professor Slughorn the year before so that he would "luckily" stumble on the diadem in the next pile of misplaced belongings.

"No one is that lucky. I reckon that you were always supposed to be the one to survive. Good always wins, doesn't it?" Ginny told him, trying to create more of a positive mood.

"Only in stories." Harry said, staring at his reflection in part of a smashed mirror. "Look, Gin, don't go pretending that everything is going to be okay. There is no guarantee that anyone is going to come out of this alive. I know we have to stay positive, but what if good doesn't always win? What happens then?"

Ginny took hold of his hands and gently rubbed her thumbs over the back, an action Harry assumed her mother had used to reassure her when she was a child. "At risk of sounding soppy and clingy." she said. "I honestly couldn't care as long as we're still together. All of us. Do you not think about life after Hogwarts? A career? Family?"

"More than you think" Harry said wistfully. "I would love to fix-up my parents house. Move in. Godric's Hollow seems a really nice place, and it would be nice to settle down there." the corner of his lips twitched slightly. "And as for family, I'm mindful that this is probably not the wisest of things to admit to your girlfriend, especially at the risk of being overheard by one of her brothers, but yes, I would love a family. I would love the chance to share the childhood I never had. A magical one. But I would like it without the risk of being hunted down like my parents were, and leaving him or her an orphan. I wouldn't want anyone else to go through the same childhood I did."

Ginny silent for a while, and Harry waited for some words of sympathy or similar to come from her. Instead he felt her hand on his face, forcing his head up to look at her. He complied and looked into her eyes to see a playful smile on her face. "Only one child?" she asked. "I'm aiming on beating my parents record!"

Harry's eyes briefly opened wide in shock before he noticed her playful tone. "It'll have to stay open for discussion." he said. "But I think two or three little Potter's will be more than enough of a handful. There must've been a reason my dad was an only child."

Ginny nodded. "Must've been an ugly baby." she agreed, and ducked with a laugh as Harry playfully swatted her on the back of her head before pulling her forward to kiss her, grateful that his girlfriend knew just what to do to make him smile.

"Maybe one day." Ginny whispered as they broke apart, and quickly raised a finger to put against Harry's lips as he started to speak. "But I won't expect anything." she said. "Just want to give you something to live for."

"You've already done that." Harry said with heartfelt appreciation, leaning in to kiss her again.

"Well, it's a good job we weren't in any danger." Neville said, breaking the silence with a small cough.

Harry and Ginny smiled at each other before greeting their friend. "Hermione and Ron have already found something." Neville said with a knowing smile. "I won't tell them that they were the only ones looking."

"Why, what were you doing?" Ginny asked, and Neville's neck and ears turned pink.

"N-Nothing." he said. "What makes you think we… I mean I was doing anything."

"Because you're a bloke." Ginny pointed out. "You can't be trusted!"

"She has such faith." Harry said. "Now, where are Ron and Hermione."

"This way." Neville said, jerking his head. "I marked the corners with some blue powder so I wouldn't get lost."

"What's wrong with a "point-me" spell?" Harry asked.

Neville's frown creased slightly before he shrugged. "Didn't think of it." he admitted. "They aren't far though."

After a couple of corners and one occasion of clambering over what seemed to be a strangely effected vacuum cleaner, they reached the corner where Ron and Hermione were standing with Luna.

"What did you find?" Harry asked, eagerly looking around for the cupboard he had put the bust with the diadem on top of.

Hermione smiled and pulled a small baby-blue blanket from the top of a table, revealing the diadem sitting on the a small cushion.

"That's it." Harry said excitedly, but then frowned. "But I thought I left it on top of a cupboard.

"You did." Ron said, and pointed a pile of burnt wood behind him. "But I think someone must've thrown a firework or something in here, and it must've caught the cupboard alight. We found the diadem in the middle of the rubble."

"Good work." Harry said, and reached out to touch the tarnished metal, withdrawing his fingers with a hiss as his skin brushed it.

He looked at his friends and they shared a grin whilst Luna, Neville and Ginny shared a look of confusion.

"Why'd you do that?" Ginny asked, reaching out to touch the diadem herself, half expecting Harry or her brother to stop her, but when they didn't she picked it up and examined it. "What's so special about it?"

"Other than the fact it used to belong to Rowena Ravenclaw?" Hermione pointed out.

"It seems to hold the essence of a Chupacabra." Luna said.

"It certainly holds the essence of something." Ron agreed. "Just watch this."

He took the diadem off his sister and placed it back on the table, then moved aside to allow Hermione to take his place, the vial of basilisk venom in her hand.

"What is that?" Neville asked, wrinkling his nose at the smell that came from the vial as Hermione un-stoppered it.

"Basilisk venom." Harry said. "One of the most potent of all poisons." He looked at Ginny. "And yes, it came from the one we were closely acquainted with back in the chamber."

"I didn't think you had time for a donation." she said with a watery smile, trying to make light of the situation.

"Amazing what you get when you ask politely." Harry retorted with a small wink.

"Ready?" Hermione asked, vial poised over the metal.

Harry nodded and she tipped the small glass ampoule, allowing the thick liquid to drip on the metal.

Like with the cup, the diadem started to scream as the metal started to sizzle and hiss in reaction to the venom. This time, however, Harry's scar flared in response to the poison, and he fell to the floor, screaming in discordant harmony with the sound of the horcrux being destroyed.


	43. It's time

_Apologies for the delay, computer problems! And I admit I had my confidence knocked by a bad review, after thinking about it though, I'd just like to say DON'T LIKE IT? DON'T READ IT! _

_For those that don't mind it so much, hope you enjoy the next installments and would a love a review to see what you think. Kit. xxx  
_

Chapter 43

He didn't hear his friends call his name, only felt the pain building in his head. Unlike the other times when Voldemort's moods would send sharp spikes of pain into his skull, this felt more like an intense pressure being pushed onto the space between his eyes. He fell to his knees, clawing at his forehead in attempt to relieve himself of the pressure, but it wasn't until a final wisp of vapour disappeared from the diadem that the pressure in Harry's mind released itself, and Harry fell back panting, covered in a sheen of sweat and feeling positively nauseous.

"Well, that didn't happen before." Ron said after confirming his friend was okay, kneeling on one knee to offer his support.

"It was the last but one." Harry grunted, pushing himself to his feet. "Maybe he felt it go and passed those feelings onto me."

Hermione looked worried. "What if he did? He might go checking on them and find out what we've done."

"And what have you done?" Neville prompted.

"Declared war." Ron said bitterly. "We'll just have to work quicker. How do we get our hands on that snake without Old Mouldy getting his scaly fingers on us?"

"What snake?" Ginny asked.

"I honestly don't think we can." Hermione said, running her fingers through the ends of her long hair. "No doubt he keeps her close to his side whenever he isn't targeting wizards and I guess he'll keep her locked up under charm and key whenever he leaves her behind."

"Not to mention we're still not sure she _is_ the other… thing yet." Ron reminded them, holding off calling them by name as he realised their conversation was being carefully observed by the other three. "I mean, none of the books we've read have suggested turning something living into… one of them. Maybe it can't be done?"

"Can someone please explain to us what's going on?"

"But you can't deny that her size and age imply something sinister is going on." Hermione said.

"Ron's right." Harry said. "Some breeds of snake can live longer than regular humans, so there isn't any substantial proof that she is the final… thing. But the way he keeps her close…" he sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Do we chance it?" Hermione asked. "So we risk everything to get close to her on the off chance that she may hold the last one?"

"I don't think we have a choice." Harry said, thinking of the letter he had received from Snape at Christmas, and knowing that he would have to make the meeting soon.

"You're going to tell the Order?" Hermione asked.

"Do we get to find out what's going on?" Ginny asked impatiently.

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry if this isn't making much sense." he said to Neville, Luna and Ginny. "But I'll make sure you are all there when I explain everything."

"When are you going to do that?" Neville asked. "If you've done something that is going to make You-Know-Who worried, then surely you ought to tell us sooner rather than later."

"Soon." Harry said. "I just need to run some errands first."

"Like what?" Ron asked.

"Just trust me on this one." Harry said. "I'll go see McGonagall now, see if I can't get a meeting sorted for this week sometime."

"You aren't going off do anything stupid, again?" Hermione asked, suspicion in her eyes.

"Would I seriously do anything stupid with Myrtle following me around reminding me every minute of the day that she's hoping that I'll end up in the hospital wing?" he pointed out.

Hermione just folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, Okay." Harry said, flinging his arms up in defeat. "I'm going to send a letter and then see McGonagall. I'll meet you back in the common room within the hour. Promise."

"We'll hold you to that." Hermione said, picking up the now soulless diadem and placing it in her bag.

Within the hour Harry stood outside the door to the headmistress's office and steeled himself for what he was about to do. He had acted on his own for so long, be it with the support of his two friends, that asking for assistance threatened to be the initiator for a whole series of events that would no longer be under his control.

But even with the knowledge that telling his friends about the horcruxes would immediately put them all in danger, Harry knew that they deserved to know why it was he was asking them to help him. He couldn't make the same mistake as Dumbledore and pray that ignorance of a situation would help protect those he cared about.

He raised his hand and rang his knuckles against the solid door once. The noise wasn't particularly loud but he soon heard the response from his former head of house and entered, only stepping a couple of strides into the room.

His gaze strayed over his shoulder to the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, and he found the old headmaster sat with his hands steeped in his usual manner, twinkle in his eye and a small nod as if to say that he already knew what Harry had come to the office for and to encourage him.

"Can I help you, Harry?" McGonagall asked.

"I wish to call a meeting of the whole Order." he said, turning his head to face her and cutting to the chase. "It's time you all understood what's been going on, and maybe help me stop this."

McGonagall nodded, a mixture of pride and relief in her eyes. "I'll get the meeting organised as soon as possible." she said.

Harry nodded his appreciation, and with one last glance at Dumbledore's portrait, left the office.

He went straight to the Owlery and called Hedwig down from the rafters. She came down, closely followed by her small feathery foster-child that had been called Poppy.

"This will be a solo job for you." Harry said, pulling some parchment from his pocket and quickly scribbling a few words and folding the letter. He tied it to Hedwig's leg, praising her with a pat on her head for standing so steadily. "I don't know where he is, and it could be dangerous. But I want this to go to Snape and I'll need an answer. Please take care."

Hedwig bobbed her head once, her large eyes staring into Harry's own, reassuring him in her own way that she would return safe and well. She briefly turned to the little owlet next to her, reaching out with an open beak in a show of affection, and then opening her wings and taking off out of the window.

Harry watched her fly away, hoping in his heart that he was doing the right thing. He glanced down at his watch, deciding how he was going to spend his time that afternoon and decided that some one-on-one duelling practise would be useful.

He walked down the stairs of the owlery and headed to the corridor where many of the Order were staying, including Remus, Tonks, Bill and Fleur.

He gently knocked on Bill and Fleur's shared room, smiling as Bill opened the door, a half eaten sandwich in one hand.

"Hiya, Harry." Bill said, opening the door further and inviting him in. "What can we do for you?"

"Just feeling a little restless." Harry said. "Wondering if you were up for a bit of a workout?"

Bill looked down at his sandwich and then over his shoulder to where Fleur was sitting on a sofa, picking at a bowl of grapes.

"Can I go play?" he asked, and Harry watched as Fleur returned his scarred yet hopeful gaze with a beautiful smile.

"I think I could spare you for a couple of hours." she said.

"Thank you." he said, rushing over to give her a quick kiss before grabbing his jacket and wand and leaving the room.

"What's on your mind?" Bill asked as they made their way to Harry's training room.

"Too much." Harry said, eyeing up his duelling tutor as they walked. "I hope you're up for something strenuous. I really need to get something off my chest."

"Ginny?" he asked. "Something going wrong between you and my sister?"

Harry froze in the corridor and looked at the eldest Weasley sibling. "No." He said simply, and continued to walk. "If anything we couldn't be better. Your sister is great."

Bill smirked slightly. "Do I think young Potter is in love?"

Harry sighed. "Look, Bill. You have been great to me this year. Really you have. And you've been a great friend. But it would just be too weird to talk to you about my relationship with your sister."

Bill laughed. "You can't blame a Weasley for trying." he said.

Harry just shook his head and pushed the door to his training room open, pulling his jumper off and shaking out his shoulders. "If it weren't for this stupid war, things would be even better." he said sombrely.

Bill nodded. "So this is more anxiety relief?" he asked, raising his wand. "I've already had a message from McGonagall saying that there was a full meeting being arranged for tomorrow. She said you had requested it."

"_Tomorrow_?" Harry, lowered his wand before firing any curses. "I didn't think she'd be able to organise it so soon!"

Bill relaxed his duelling position as well, and came closer to Harry, their height close to being the same. "We've been waiting for you forever, Harry." he said. "We have been unable to do anything offensive all year. We have no contacts on the inside, no information about where Voldemort is or what he is going to do. We've waiting patiently because we knew you were given a task to do by Dumbledore, and that you would come to us when you were ready. Once you let us in on what you've been doing then we can finally do something more pro-active." he smirked, his scarred face making the emotion look more sincere than it should have. "You have no idea how hard we've had to tie Moody down. He was even threatening Veritaserum at one point!"

Harry just stared in shock. "You've all been waiting for me?" he said.

"What else were we to do?" Bill asked. "It is clear that Voldemort isn't your run-of-the-mill dark wizard. He has more power than many of us combined and just doesn't die when he should."

"Neither do I." Harry pointed out.

Bill laughed. "Kindred!" he announced with open and arms and a smile, but immediately took back the statement when he saw Harry's face fall.

"I'm sorry, Harry." he said. "I shouldn't have said that. I overheard Ron and Hermione talking about how similar you thought you both were once. They were concerned."

Harry nodded, not making eye contact with his duelling partner. "Dumbledore told me himself that there were a lot of similarities between us. Unfortunately, Voldemort has also taken an interest in them."

"You want to talk about it?" Bill asked.

Harry breathed deep, then looked up. "Do you think that it's a bad thing to kill someone?" he asked.

Bill looked as if he realised what Harry was thinking, and shook his head. "Look, Harry," he started, placing his hand on Harry's upper arm. "I would love to say that deliberately taking a life was a horrendous thing to do…"

"What about if it were in defence of someone you love?"

Bill shook his head. "There is an exception to every rule, Harry." he said. "No one would think less of you if you killed Voldemort."

Harry shook his head. "What if I'm not talking about Voldemort?" he asked in a low voice.

Bill frowned, removing his hand from Harry's shoulder. "Who…?"

There was a tapping from the leaded windows that lined one wall of the classroom. Harry walked over and let Hedwig in, stoking her downy breast as he removed the note that was tied to her foot.

He quickly read it, then looked up at Bill. "What time is the meeting tomorrow?" he asked.

"About eight." Bill replied. "Who is the letter from?"

Harry glanced down at the parchment again before throwing it into the air and casting an Incendio charm on it. He watched it smoulder as it floated to the floor.

"I might be slightly late." he said, then raised his wand and assumed a duelling stance.

"Who was the letter from?" Bill repeated.

Harry indicated his readiness to duel, then said. "Beat me and I might tell you." he challenged.

Bill smiled, knowing that Harry, though a good dueller for his age, still hadn't had the length of experience that he had, and threw the first curse.


	44. Snape

Chapter 44

Harry looked around the his dormitory before picking up his father's invisibility cloak and running the smooth material through his fingers. With a sigh he made sure that he had his wand in an easily accessible pocket, and once more assessed his clothes for ease of movement.

When he thought he was prepared enough, he made his way down the stairs and walked to where Hermione and Ron were sitting on the sofa.

"I'm going out for a bit." he said, trying to make sure that his voice remained calm and raised no suspicions with his friends. "I'll be back in time for the meeting tonight. I'll be going straight to the Head's office though."

If he had said this less than a year ago he would have expected Hermione to be the suspicious one, and Ron to be blasé about his actions. But it was a sign of the times that cause both his friends to lean forward, both demanding to know where he was going.

Harry laughed. "I'm not going to tell you." he said. "I'm only going to be gone a couple of hours, and I'd like you to get hold of Luna and Neville. They both deserve to be at the meeting tonight to hear this."

Ron nodded, but Hermione looked concerned. "What you up to, Harry?" she asked.

Harry kneeled down in front of his friends. "Something that we're going to need." he assured them quietly. "I'm not leaving the school grounds, and I'll be back as soon as I can. I'll see you at the meeting."

Hermione and Ron both looked unsure as Harry stood and made his way out the common room, glancing his eyes quickly over the students sat around, but not seeing his girlfriend there.

Once out of sight of the crowd, he pulled the invisibility cloak over his head and stood opposite the portrait, waiting patiently.

Barely ten seconds later the portrait opened, and Ron's red hair poked out looking both ways before he climbed out.

"He must've taken his cloak." he said over his shoulder, and Hermione climbed out into the corridor as well.

"Did you see which way Harry went?" Hermione asked the portrait.

The custodian looked down at the back of her hand, examining her nails carefully. "He hasn't gone far." she said cryptically, and Harry smiled, knowing that she had seen him go under the cloak and not given him away.

Ron and Hermione shared a glance before climbing back into the common room, speaking of where they could find Neville and Luna.

Harry smiled slightly at how predictable his friends were, then made his way down the corridor and outside into the school grounds. He pushed his way through the fiercely blowing gales, grateful that the weather was keeping most people indoors, and was soon making his way through the corridor that led underneath the Whomping Willow and into the Shrieking Shack.

He slowed as he entered the vacant building and crouched down low on the stairs, staring at the closed door that led to the room where he had discovered the truth about his godfather.

He crept up the final few stairs and reached out for the door handle, wand ready in his hand. He pulled his hand away quickly when he felt the tell-tale tingle in his fingers of some sort of curse set on the door.

He frowned, knowing that the tingle meant two things. The first was that Snape had kept true to his brief parchment note and had come to meet him. The second was that he was on the offensive, putting a charm on the door to either indicate Harry was there, or to distract Harry enough to overpower him.

Harry thought for a few moments, recalling all the lessons he had learnt over the year, and with a bitter smile he took two sidesteps to the left, raising his wand and pointing towards the bare wall.

He took a deep breath and shouted out "REDUCTO", causing the wall to explode into the dark room.

A shout indicated he had been right in his assumptions that Snape would've been hiding behind the door when he entered, and he quickly leapt through the hole in the wall, raising his wand to where he found his old potion's professor struggling to turn himself over amidst all the rubble.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." Harry said, his voice hard as he saw the man who had murdered Dumbledore.

Snape glared at him momentarily, then Harry saw something change in his eyes. It was as if his old professor had seen something in Harry's face that indicated he was no longer the boy who had chased him across the school grounds, fruitlessly trying to claim revenge for death of his mentor. He watched as Snape fell back onto his elbows, wand still in his hand, and calmly spat out some blood that had been pooling on his bottom lip.

Harry frowned, unable to believe that he was the one in charge of the situation, and he hadn't even had a come-back from the snappish potions master.

"So talk." Harry said, "Why did you bring me here?"

"To explain a few home truths." Snape spoke slowly. "We both ultimately desire the same outcome to this war, but the only way to get there is to trust one another. For you, that involves you listening to what I have to say. For me, it involves letting go of various misconceptions I have chosen to believe over the years. Either way, it starts with me talking and you listening."

Harry rolled his eyes slightly and leant the back of his legs against the bottom of the bed, not dropping his wand at all but somehow knowing this was going to take a long time.

"You need to understand who I am and why I do what I do." Snape said.

Harry snorted. "Like kill the one man that trusted you?"

Snape frowned slightly. "Comments like that aren't going to help any, Potter."

Harry smirked then gestured with his wand. "I'm no longer your student, and we are no longer in class. But do continue."

"We'll start with the moment you observed in my memory." Snape said, referring to the incident during Harry's occlumency training when he had inadvertently found himself observing the older man's memories. "There was more going on that day than two Gryffindors picking on a Slytherin loner. It was the day I lost your mother to James Potter."

There was a slight silence as Harry tried to understand what Snape had just said. When he didn't say anything, Snape continued.

"Up until that day, Lily and I had been good friends. We had arrived at Hogwarts at the same time, and had made friends on the Hogwarts express on the way. Even though we were sorted into separate houses we remained friends, studying together in the library and sitting together in classes. It worked out well. She was the untraditional Gryffindor that liked to read and work. I was the half-blood Slytherin that had been ostracised by my own house from the moment I had stepped onto that train."

He sighed slightly. "In her second year she started to grow up into a beautiful young woman. Her muggle braces were removed from her teeth, and she grew her hair long. Even that age she was turning the heads of many in our year, and even some in the year above. She attracted your father's attentions from the middle of our second year when she had to work on him with a project, and spent the next couple of years pushing him away.

"Up to that day by the lake I held the belief that Lily would take the love a long-term friend had to offer over that of a Quidditch player that was concerned more about his looks than his grades. Unfortunately, I opened the opportunity for Potter when I called your mother that disgusting word."

Harry watched as Snape seemed to mentally hit himself across the head.

"I had lost your mother for ever, and I knew it. Once Potter had his claws in her she'd never come back to me. I became even more of a loner, and worked hard on my best subject." He laughed cynically. "In a strange way, losing her is what has made me into such a skilled potions master.

"It also made me follow in the steps of many other of my fellow Slytherins. Barely two months after my graduation I met the Dark Lord for the first time. Less than a year after that I had taken the dark mark and had become his top potions master. I never met nor spoke to your mother again."

He looked up at Harry to see how his story was being taken and was met by a stony glare.

"I was doing some spy work for Him when I overheard the prophecy." Harry bristled as Snape started talking again. "I only heard the start of it before I was interrupted, but, ever loyal to my master, I told him what I had heard. I did not know at the time that your mother was pregnant, nor that there were only two possible children this prophecy could refer to.

"As soon as I did find out who the two possible children were, I realised what a mistake I had made. I got in contact with Dumbledore as soon as I could, hence both your parents' and those of the Longbottom boy were put under Fidelious.

"But then your parents made the mistake in choosing their secret keeper. It didn't take a lot for that snivelling rat to come running to Him with his little secret in return for power and possible recognition in society. And whilst everyone was celebrating your defeat of the Dark Lord, and you were being smuggled to safety by Dumbledore, I made my way to Hogwarts a broken man to plead forgiveness."

"What's this got to do with you meeting me today?" Harry asked, a little unsure of the purpose behind what Snape was telling him. Was he simply trying to lull him into a false sense of security? Or was he telling these dark truths in a real attempt to reach a hand of alliance?

"After knowing that I had played a major part in killing the only woman I had ever loved, I swore I would do whatever Dumbledore asked of me. He gave me a job, saved me from the depression I had put myself in and won over my trust more than anyone save your mother. I felt that I owed my him my life and swore a life debt to him."

"Is this leading to that night on the tower?" Harry asked and Snape nodded, his eyes unguarded. Harry realised at that moment that the potions professor really missed his mentor and saviour, but at the same time did not regret what he had done.

"Dumbledore had been ill for a long time before he started teaching you about horcruxes." Harry inclined his head slightly when he found that Snape knew about the horcruxes. "Yes, I know." the older man said. "He taught me all about them. Partly in case you were unable to continue the quest, but mostly because you would need my assistance at some point to destroy them."

"But I still need to trust you." Harry pointed out. "And unless you have proof that Dumbledore didn't die when you cursed him and sent him flying off the top of a tower, then I really don't see how that is going to happen."

"Oh, cut the bull, Potter." Snape said, suddenly surging up to a sitting position. Harry raised his wand, seeing the snake-like professor he used to know before him. "He was dying long before that night. Not just from the ring horcrux he destroyed but from old age. Wizards may live longer lives, Potter, but how long do you honestly think good health lasts? The stress of the war was killing him, but it was his determination to help you that kept him alive as long as it did."

"If you knew he was dying, then why did you kill him?" Harry said, his voice rising to stay level with Snape's.

"_Because he pulled my life debt on me and told me to_." Snape practically shouted back. His chest heaved a little as he recalled an obviously painful memory.

"The old man knew that the Dark Lord would do what he could to get him out the way." he said in a calmer voice. "After all, Dumbledore was the only real barrier that was protecting you. The Dark Lord forced Draco to agree to kill Dumbledore, and Draco made a wizarding pledge to do so in order to protect the lives of his parents. Dumbledore, being the old fool that he was, didn't want Draco to have to go through that, so he pulled the debt and had me perform the task instead."

"Where is Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"Hiding." Snape replied. "One of the conditions we were hoping to sort out today was the possibility of moving him to Hogwarts, he'd be much safer there."

Harry shook his head a little and started to laugh. "You really think that I'm going to believe you? After you made my life hell for all those years? And Malfoy? Give me one reason to trust him!"

"Honestly, I know that I can't make you do anything, Potter." Snape admitted. "I spent all those years teaching you in complete conflict. On one hand I regretted that you were the son of Potter, and on the other I saw the son of the one woman I loved. Yes, I treated you unfairly. But considering the circumstances I would hope you could push that aside long enough for us to plan to destroy the rest of these horcruxes and save the rest of the Wizarding community."

"One horcrux." Harry corrected after a brief silence.

Snape stared at him. "Excuse me?"

"One horcrux." Harry repeated, resigning himself to trust his old potions professor with this knowledge. "We've already destroyed the rest."

"Rest? How many?"

Harry, leaving his wand hand pointed at Snape, counted the other horcruxes off on his fingers.

"There was the necklace the Dumbledore took me to destroy that night he fell, but that was a fake so we had to find the real one. Then there was the diary that opened the Chamber in my second year. Then Hufflepuff's cup and Ravenclaw's head-dress. If you include Voldemort himself and the ring that Dumbledore destroyed, that leaves Nagini."

"The snake." Snape said, and Harry was slightly shocked to hear the admiration in his voice. "You have been busy."

"We've been lucky." Harry corrected. "Dumbledore was right to study Voldemort as a person, and like any normal person, once you understand them you can predict what they have done and what they will do. Voldemort is well prepared to take Hogwarts soon. So we will have to move soon." He looked at Snape. "Do you have any ideas?"

Snape shook his head. "I was honestly expecting to have to start from where it had been left. Knowing there is only one left is a great relief."

"Well, do you think you can destroy Nagini and send word when it is done?"

Snape shook his head. "I may be able to kill the snake, but my life won't be worth living within moments of her demise. There is no way I could get word to you."

Harry nodded. "What about getting me in there with you?"

Snape frowned. "What are you implying, Potter?"

Harry held his hand out and let Snape accept his assistance to stand. "Well, if you could get me to where the snake is, I could kill the snake. Once the snake is dead I might get a chance to kill Voldemort once and for all, if not then at least you'd be able to get word to the others."

Snape shook his head. "Gryffindor." he muttered.

Harry nodded. "But at least everyone would be safe. And the chance would be there."

"I'm all for the idea, but the person who kills the snake would most certainly be killed. Why not let someone else from the Order take the responsibility?"

Harry shook his head. "I doubt anyone but myself would be kept alive long enough to get near the snake, let alone kill it. I'm the only one who he'll be interested in taunting for some time."

"Painfully." Snape added and Harry shrugged.

"As long as I am in a right enough mind to remember why I am there, I'll find a way." he said. "I always do."

"And it always amazes me that your luck is still withstanding." Snape said.

"I doubt it'll last to the end of the war." Harry told him. "But supposing that I bait Voldemort somehow to come get me, do you think you can help keep me alive long enough to kill the snake? And then get word to the Order?"

"Get word to the Order would be the easy part." Snape said. "Keeping you alive shouldn't be too hard, the Dark Lord likes to play before he kills, and he will relish having you in his clutches. However, keeping you sane of mind would be the challenge."

Harry smiled, aware of what had been left unsaid. "You honestly think I am sane of mind in the first place?" he asked. "After coming to meet you alone? After openly saying that I plan to walk into Voldemort's clutches in order to kill his pet snake?"

Snape's lips quirked in the corner into what Harry could only describe as a smile. "There is that." he said. "Now, how are you going to bait him?"

Harry and Snape continued to talk for the next hour, both parties begrudgingly aware that the other was more than capable of passing and assessing idea's when not confrontational. As their meeting drew to a close, Snape held out his hand to shake Harry's.

"To our next meet." he said with a nod.

Harry nodded. "You know, if you didn't hate me so much, I might have actually enjoyed your classes." he said.

Snape shook his head. "I doubt it." he said. "There aren't many Gryffindors I know who like being taught in a room without windows."

Harry shrugged. "There aren't many Gryffindors I know that have had the kind of life I've had." he said. "Until next time."

He waved a hand and walked out of the sparsely furnished bedroom, walking down the stairs and dropping through the trap door that would lead him back to the school.


	45. The truth

Chapter 45

Harry sped his way back towards the school, painfully aware that he was already thirty minutes late for the start of the meeting. He had already told Bill that he was going to be late, but he knew that his friends would be worried should he not be found anywhere on the school grounds.

He rushed his way through the castle and up the stairs towards the Gryffindor common room. Once he had pushed his way through the portrait he spotted the one person he had come to see and made his way over to her.

"Ginny!"

His girlfriend turned from her friends and smiled at him. "Everything all right?" she asked, seeing Harry's dusty clothes and noticing how hot he was from his race up the stairs.

"It's all fine." he assured her. "Just thought you might like to come and sit in on a meeting?"

Ginny looked thoughtful for a brief moment before realising what Harry meant, and grabbing his outstretched hand.

"We're going to have to be quick, though." Harry said. "I'm already more than a bit late."

Ginny matched his fast walking pace. "You sure about this?" she asked. "Won't my parents be there? They'll go nuts!"

Harry shrugged. "You're very much part of my life at the moment." he said. "You have as much of a right as anyone to at least hear what's going on." he said. "I make no promises to let you get involved, that will be up to your parents. In all honesty, I'd much prefer it if you kept out of the whole thing. But, as I said, you do at least deserve to know what's going on!"

Ginny smiled and pulled him to a stop, planting a quick kiss on his lips. "Thank you." she said sincerely, before pulling his hand again as they rushed to the McGonagall's office.

As they reached to gargoyles that guarded the staircase, they parted without a password, meaning that they had been charmed to only let specific people in on this occasion. Harry and Ginny raced up the stairs and let themselves into the office.

A large meeting table had been set up in the centre of the room, which itself seemed a lot larger than normal.

He saw Kingsley, Moody and McGonagall deep in conversation at one end of the table. Ron and Hermione had saved him a seat next to Neville and Luna, and the rest of the Order were talking between themselves for the moment.

"Leave it." Harry advised to Molly and Arthur as he passed them to take his place next to Ron and Hermione, Ginny's hand held firmly in his own. Molly looked a bit put out that Harry had spoke before she had had a chance to complain. "She cares about me enough to deserve to know what's going on. She knows not to get involved unless you let her, but she isn't going to leave this meeting."

Arthur nodded to Harry respectively, and spoke a quiet word into his wife's ear before she could verbalise any argument.

Harry indicated that Ginny should sit next to Neville and Luna, and took his place on the other side of Hermione, next to where McGonagall was sitting.

"What's going on?" he asked, when he noticed how urgently McGonagall, Moody and Kingsley had been talking to one another.

"The ministry has fallen." Kinglsey said. "Minister Scrimgeour was found dead in his officer earlier this afternoon. Once word gets out there is bound to be a mad panic in the wizarding world. People are already calling out for someone to do something about Voldemort, and there doesn't seem to be anyone willing to take the stand."

Harry frowned. "It starts." he said, unaware that the whole table had fallen silent at Kingsley's words. "But maybe it is a sign."

"A sign of what?" Remus asked. "Why have you called this meeting, Harry? What's going on?"

Harry took a deep breath and stood up, glancing to where Dumbledore was staring seriously down at them. It was now or never, he knew. But it was a secret he had held so close for so long he was somewhat unwilling to share it.

"Before Dumbledore died," he started. "He entrusted me with an idea he had. One that would explain why Voldemort has been able to survive as long as he has, coming back from the dead and taking on such inhuman features."

He breathed deep again.

"Has anyone here ever heard of a horcrux?"

His eyes scanned over the table, reading the reactions of the Order members. It was clear from the reactions of certain individuals that some had heard the word before. Those that had worked closely with dark arts over the years, or were wizened with age turned grey at his words. However, most of the room remained un-enlightened.

"It is believed that when you kill another being, you lose part of yourself." Harry explained. "If you say an incantation at the right moment when a life is ended, then that part of your soul can be tied to another object, and as long as that object remains protected, you can never fully die. A Horcrux is that object you tie your soul to."

"Is that why You-know-who didn't die on that night when you were a baby?" Tonks asked with shock. "Because he didn't have a complete soul?"

Harry nodded, biting his bottom lip.

"So, in order to kill Voldemort we need to destroy this Horcrux first?" Moody asked, then answered his own question with a nod. "Of course. It explains a lot." he looked to Harry and his friends. "And you have been searching for it." he stated, his magical eye rolling excitedly. "You have found it?"

Harry glanced down and Ron and Hermione before shaking his head.

"That's part of the problem." he said. "I'm sure you are all aware that Voldemort came to school here, and he was a very good student. He always pushed the boundaries of what magic is capable of and he didn't create one Horcrux, he created six." The room gasped as Hermione lifted her bag and emptied its contents onto the table. "He believed that seven would be the "magic number" when segmenting his soul."

Hermione lifted the ring. "Dumbledore found and destroyed this one." she said. "It belonged to Voldemort's grandfather, but due to his methods the horcrux managed to turn his hand black before he died."

Ron lifted the silver chain. "Slytherin's locket." he stated. "Again, passed down through the generations of Voldemort's family. He was distantly related to the founder and his grandfather was certifiable due to all the inbreeding the family had done in order to keep that blood line "pure". "

Harry lifted the diary, noticing Ginny wince as she recognised it. "Riddle created this when he was a student here." he said. "We believe it to be one of his first. I destroyed it back in my second year here when the chamber was opened."

Hermione lifted the chalice. "Hufflepuff's cup." she said. "He always set his sights high and believed that something as important as part of his soul ought to be kept in something worthy and of great importance, such as the founder's belongings."

"And this is Ravenclaw's diadem." Ron said, picking up the head-dress. "We believe he found and hid it when he came asking Dumbledore for a job several years ago. Ironically, since it hadn't been seen for so long, he hid it back in the place that he had found it, believing it to be safe there. Since that moment when he had been denied a teachers post, the position of Defence against the Dark Arts has never succeeded in keeping a professor for longer than one year."

"And the final two?" Kingsley asked as the trio paused.

"Voldemort would need to keep the seventh part to himself." Harry said. "Even he realised that splitting his soul further would mean that he was spreading himself too thin. And seven is a pretty lucky number for most."

"So we're just looking for one more." McGonagall stated. "And you need our help for it?"

Harry nodded. "He pushed the boundaries even more with his last Horcrux." he said. "And attempted to put it in a living being, rather than an inanimate object."

He leaned on the table. "He created it the night he killed my parents. Dumbledore may think that I survived that night was due to the protection my mother gave me with her sacrifice, but I think that the reason I survived was because he was so set on his experiment that the killing curse didn't work as well as it should."

"And what is the Horcrux?" Remus asked.

"His snake, Nagini." Harry replied. "But we have no way of getting close to her. No one has seen her for such a long time. We can only assume he must have her locked away somewhere, and without knowing where he is based, we have no way of getting to her."

"You have a plan?"

Harry shook his head. "Not really." he said. "But I do think we need to start making a stand. Bill told me yesterday that the Order had been waiting to hear Dumbledore's secrets before making any plans. If I had known this earlier I wouldn't have waited so long to tell you about the Horcruxes. But now the ministry has fallen, I think it is important for the Order to step forward, if only to encourage people to stand together and give each other hope."

"What do you propose?" Kingsley asked.

Harry shrugged, though he already had the glimmerings of a larger plan in the back of his mind. "I don't know," he said. "But maybe we can make it public, like a speech or something. We have to let people know that there are still people opposing what Voldemort is doing."

"But a public display would be suicide for whoever stood up to speak." Tonks pointed out. "You really think that You-Know-Who would let us speak out against him without retaliating?"

Remus shook his head. "We wouldn't have to invite the whole world." he said. "Just the media, and the right people who can start spreading the word. If we keep it quiet, and do it somewhere public, we can say what we need to say and have everyone safe again before he's even aware what we're doing."

Harry watched a couple of dubious faces look at each other around the table. Even those that seemed to support the idea still looked unsure.

"Who would be the best person to do this?" Molly asked. "It would need to be someone recognised by everyone, and someone with enough respect to make people believe that what we're saying is true."

"Not to mention stupid enough." Moody added.

"Well, you're too pessimistic for a start." Tonks said. "What about Minevra?"

The head of Hogwarts shook her head. "I'm here for the school." she said. "Anything happens to me then there would be no one to take my place and the school would be at risk. Kingsley?"

Kingsley shook his head. "Any other time I would agree to it, but I would much rather sort out the security with Moody. I also need to spend some time to work out who's left in the Ministry, and who out of those are not yet corrupt."

"We know it's risky…" Fred started.

"…But we volunteer!" George finished.

Ron snorted and Bill said "No chance!" before suggesting Remus.

The man shook his head. "There wouldn't be many people who would put their trust into a werewolf." he said slowly. "I was thinking more along the lines of Arthur."

The table fell silent, waiting for someone to find a problem with the Weasley patriarch being the representative for the Order. But even Molly Weasley was looking thoughtfully at her husband.

"It will be dangerous." she said hesitantly.

"But everyone knows him." McGonagall said.

"And everyone knows how much your family supported Dumbledore's ideas and opposed those of Voldemort." Kingsley said. "Providing you're confident enough, I think you'd be the best choice."

Arthur looked around the table, resting his gaze on each of his family before nodding slightly. "I'll do it." he said. "But do you think I'll be enough?"

"No." Harry said firmly, and the table turned to look at him.

He was still stood, his hands flat against the table top and his head lowered slightly. He raised his eyes to meet the questioning gazes of his friends. "I refused to be the poster-boy for the Ministry because it was stupidly corrupt and fighting for all the wrong reasons." he said. "But if I stand up and speak out against Voldemort as the only wizard left alive that has managed to survive a duel with him, and be seen actively supporting the views of the Order, then I think we'll get all the support we need."

"You're pulling your fame card?" Ron asked confusedly, knowing that Harry hated being in the spotlight.

"It's there to be used." Harry pointed out. "I may not like it, but it is there, and if I get the speech right then I imagine it would be quite a powerful tool." He turned to McGonagall who sat at the end of the table. "What do you think?" he asked.

The headmistress looked to Kingsley and they had a silent conversation with their eyes. "I think it'll be too dangerous." she said reluctantly. "I can't have one of my students risking themselves in such a way."

Harry slammed the flat of his hand on the table, making everyone jump with the noise it made.

"I'm sick of being treated like a child." he said with a clenched jaw. "Arthur has a huge family who all rely on him, and you are going to let him risk his life over me? We all know why I'm here. We all know that Voldemort is not going to attempt anything without destroying me first. If I stand up against him, in support of the Order, can you even imagine what sort of response that will get out of people?"

Harry stared at the silent faces around him and took a deep breath. "My fight is with Voldemort." he said. "If I can distract him enough, through what I say on that stage, then that gives you all the chance to find Nagini and kill her whilst he's chasing after me. We'll keep the speeches short and to the point, and you have permission to whisk me away after the announcements and put me somewhere safe. Wherever you want. I promise I will stay there, safe and without complaint, providing you keep me updated with what's going on."

The table remained silent, and Harry held his breath in anticipation.

"I don't know if we can really argue with that." Moody said. "It's a risky plan, but if it works it would give us the opportunity we need to finish this."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief as the table started talking around him again, people drawing up plans, deciding on locations and guards for him. He looked down to where Hermione and Ron were staring at him accusingly.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"When were you going to let us in on this plan?" Hermione asked.

"You found out just as I thought of it." Harry told her. "But you have to admit that it gives us that chance that we need."

"But he'll come for you." Ron said. "You think he'll not take the opportunity whilst it's there?"

Harry looked across the table at where Moody and Kingsley were talking, Remus, Tonks and Bill all contributing to the scheming.

"I'll have a word with Moody and Kingsley. I'll get a portkey or something that they can activate. It means that as soon as they spot trouble, I'll be gone." He looked at his friends. "But I don't want you there. I know we should all be seen to support this, but if I'm not there then he'll immediately turn his target onto you. I can't risk that."

"You think that you're heroic nature would prevent you from lying low and keeping your promise to disappear?" Neville asked.

Harry smiled. "Something like that."

Neville just shook his head. "No good will come of this." he said.

Harry just looked up at the portrait of Albus Dumbledore looking down at him with a question in his eyes. The wise wizard could sense there was more to this plan than Harry was letting on, even if he were just a painting. "We'll just have to pray to Merlin that it does." he said sombrely.


	46. The real plan

-1Chapter 46

He sat patiently as McGonagall concluded the meeting, arranging several smaller meetings with key organisers of the public event that was being planned for a week that evening.

As everyone stood to leave, Harry leapt up and, after making quick excuses to his friends, caught Moody and Kingsley's attention, asking them quickly to follow him for a quick word.

He led them to his training room, apologising for behaving so mysteriously and not explaining himself until he had placed several silencing charms and around the room.

"What's all this about, Potter?" Moody asked, as Harry turned to face them. "What are you keeping from us this time?"

"I don't want to keep anything from you. Not anymore." Harry said. "And that's why I need your help."

"With what?" Kingsley asked. "Is this something to do with your sudden enthusiasm for public speaking?"

Harry nodded. "Something like that. We all know that Voldemort isn't going to let Nagini out of his sight, or out of his lair. Therefore, without knowing where his base is, we have no way of getting to her and killing her."

"So what do you suggest?"

"Voldemort will know what we have planned for next week. He will hear about it."

"You seem so sure of that." Moody interrupted. "You think we have a leak within the Order?"

Harry nodded. "Yes. And I even know who that link is. And I know that Voldemort will come to Hogsmead next week. And I know his target will be me. He won't leave until I go with him - be it alive or dead." He took a deep breath. "I just think it will be in everyone's interest if he takes me alive."

"Who's the link?" Kingsley asked. "Maybe we can stop this before it becomes a risk?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm the leak." he said, and could honestly say that he saw the look of shock on Alastor Moody's face for the first time ever. Even his magical eye had stopped spinning around the room. "I have a contact in Voldemort's Inner Circle of Death Eaters, and I'm going to let them know when and where we will be on that day. In return I will be "kidnapped" by Voldemort and taken back to his base. Once there, I will kill Nagini and my connection will get word to you. That leaves you with one mortal wizard and the opportunity to finish this once and for all."

Silence filled the room, disbelief marking the faces of both of the Order members.

"That is the most stupid idea I have ever heard." Moody said in a low, dangerous voice. He limped towards Harry, leaning forward so that his disfigured nose was inches from Harry's own. "Do you have any idea what he will do to you, boy? You won't survive five minutes with him."

Harry just stared back. "He won't kill me straight away." he returned. "You know that. He won't be able to resist rubbing in the fact that he has caught me."

"But he will torture you to inches of your sanity. You've seen the Longbottom's haven't you? You think they're like that because they ate something that didn't agree?"

"I'm fully aware of that. But if you can think of a better idea, then I'd love to hear it. I just have to stay strong enough until I get close to Nagini."

The room fell silent again, and Harry stood silently as Kingsley shook his head and Moody just glared.

"Your contact. He will be able to keep you safe?" Kingsley asked.

Harry shrugged. "He promised to keep me alive enough to complete my task."

"Why can't he just kill the Snake?"

"We would have no way of knowing when or if she dies because once it happens his life will be over in moments. " Harry explained.

"And you think your outcome will be any different?" Moody asked.

Harry shook his head. "In all honesty? No." he admitted. "But at least he will have the opportunity to let you know when the deed is done. And you can then take the necessary steps to finish Riddle off."

"You are willing to give your life?" Kingsley asked. "You are really willing to risk everything to kill a snake?"

"No. I am willing to risk everything to save those that I care about."

"And what do you want us to do?"

"Keep them as far away from me as possible." Harry said gently. "You'll be in charge of security and I don't want anyone to get hurt by trying to stop Voldemort from getting to me. I need you to let him take me away as easily as possible but without suspicion, and afterwards you will need to be on alert for word from my contact. Once he lets you know I've succeeded then it's all in your hands."

"Who is your contact?" Moody asked. "And can we trust him?"

"I really don't think you want to know who my contact is." Harry said. "I'm just asking you to trust me."

Both Moody and Kingsley frowned. "Who is it, Harry?" Kinsgley asked.

Harry shook his head. "I really don't want to say. I will leave a letter of explanation for you to find once I'm gone. You can call an Order meeting and explain what the plan was and why I've chosen to trust this person."

"This just sounds like suicide."

Harry nodded. "It may well be, but on the other hand, there is an equal chance everything will be fine."

Moody laughed once out loud. "Equal? I honestly don't believe you are actually considering this, Potter." he said.

"You would all do the same, if it meant this was finished." Harry said. "And you know it."

Both Moody and Kingsley still looked as if Harry ought to be admitted to the St Mungo's hospital.

"Look. This is my choice. I want to do this. I'm fully aware that you can lock me away and keep me safe and just pretend to everyone it's for my own protection, but I need your help if we're to have a chance. And you need to trust me. I need you to let my friends know that I'm doing this for them."

Moody and Kingsley glanced at each other and shared a silent conversation.

"Can you ask this "friend" of yours to do all he can to make sure you are safe, once the snake is dead that is?" Kingsley asked.

Harry thought back to the conversation he had had with Snape earlier that evening and nodded. "In a strange way, I think he has been doing that all the time I've known him." he said thoughtfully. "It's just not something I've previously been aware of."

He could tell that his trainers were still unhappy about his decision, but he felt that there were beginning to come round to his ideas.

"Let us talk about it." Moody said. "We'll find a way to make sure that the stage is clear apart from you and Arthur. And we can always make sure that he has a portkey to get him away from the action. There will bound to be some sort of battle, but we'll do our best to make sure everyone is safe for you."

Harry nodded. "That is all I'm asking." he said. He stepped forward and shook both his mentor's hands. "Thank you."

Then older men shook their heads. "I think it's us that it is supposed to be thanking you." Kingsley said. "Go, spend some time with your friends. Maybe they can convince you to change your mind? Just let us know when that happens. Okay?"

Harry just smiled understandingly and made his way out of the room hoping beyond all hope that what he was planning was going to work, and not be a complete failure.


	47. Preparation

_Hi folks, thanks for the reviews that I've been getting! And sorry if my last A/N sounded a little arsey! Auntie Minerva - I usually don't let reviews get to me, but they have been so few and far between that I guess I momentarily got disheartened. Vukk - your guess is as good as mine - and I appreciate your taking the time to review. Reading-rider - you're my new best fic-friend!! Lol. Thank you. _

_Hope you enjoy the next installment! Remember Read and Review!!!_

Chapter 47

Harry delayed going to the common room to meet with his friends in order to send word to Snape to meet him in the shack the following evening. After writing a short message that would make no sense to anyone who might intercept the missive, he then headed for the Gryffindor common room, bracing himself for the barrage of questions that was bound to be directed at him.

He wasn't disappointed. His close knit circle of friends had been joined by many of the members of the DA, including several people that weren't of Gryffindor origin. All-in-all about twelve faces turned to face him as he climbed through the portrait.

"What's going on, Harry?" Ginny demanded, standing at the forefront of the crowd with Hermione, Ron and Neville, her hand crossed defensively in front of her.

Harry was taken aback by the coldness of her tone.

"What do you mean?"

"Volunteering for something as stupid as that! What are you thinking?"

Harry's breath caught in his chest as he briefly thought that they somehow knew of his recent proposal to Kingsley and One-Eyed Moody.

"What's the problem?" he asked, deciding to test the waters to see how much they knew before assuming that they had heard anything.

Ginny just threw up her hands in defeat and Hermione stepped in, her calm voice trying to impress logic onto Harry.

"Standing up in front of everyone at a time like this and speaking out against Voldemort is just asking for trouble. If you do it, its going to be suicide. He'll come for you Harry. Surely you must realise how dangerous this could be?"

Harry sighed, trying to keep the relief from flooding into his face. They didn't know about his bigger plan for the day. No doubt they would tie him down and refuse to let him go to the bathroom without an escort should they know about the real plan behind the Hogsmeade event. It was for this reason, as well as the worry that they'd experience, that he didn't want them to know.

"It'll be over long before he can pull enough Death Eaters together to launch an attack." he assured them.

"But what if he is just waiting for an opportunity like this?" Neville pointed out. "He could have everyone on call to attack within moments."

"Which is why I've just had a word with Kingsley and Moody." Harry said. "They will make sure that anyone who is on that stage will have a portkey, and at the first hint of trouble they will be activated and everyone will just disappear." He looked at the rest of the group that had filled the common room. "How much have you explained?" he asked.

"Just that you're planning on speaking out against evil." Ron said, "and how stupid that idea is."

"But isn't that what you've been aiming for all year?" Seamus asked. "I mean, you've been training like anything. There isn't any student in the school that can beat you in a duel now. And Dean was watching whist you were duelling Kingsley the other day, and he says that even the Ministry's top auror was breaking a sweat against you."

"Are you seriously wanting Harry to go out and get himself killed like this?" Ginny demanded.

"Of course not." Seamus replied defensively. "I'm just saying that he's been excused of classes all year to train, so surely he must be ready to make a stand now?"

"Hey! HEY!" Harry shouted as a full out shouting match followed Seamus's accusation.

When the group had calmed enough to listen to him. "No matter what everyone thinks, this is not a solo fight. It's not in the news yet, but the Ministry has fallen to Voldemort. That means that his next focus will be the school. And no matter what the papers think, or what exaggerated ideas of grandeur you may have, if I stand on those grounds by myself to fight Voldemort, then I doubt I would even have time to release one spell before I'm dead. That leaves the rest of you undefended and unprepared.

"I'm not going to stand up on that stage to declare war on Voldemort, I'm going up there to try and make people realise that we can't win this without pooling all our resources together. If we work together then he won't stand a chance. And if it takes a direct order form the boy-who-lived to do that, then that's what I'm going to try. It might just give us the advantage. Can you understand that?"

The group nodded hesitantly as Harry caught his breath after his passionate outburst.

"Did anyone write that down?" Neville asked, breaking the silence. "I think that is exactly what you should say next week."

Harry smiled in appreciation as his friend alleviated the situation, causing a few smiles to break out amongst his friends.

"But you're not the only one who's been training." Susan Bones said from where she was perched on the end of one of the sofas. "Can't we go along to watch, give you some support? We can help should Voldemort turn up, and we all have all those portkeys that Fred and George invented. We'd be safe enough."

Harry shook his head. "No." he said. "I want you all here planning."

"Planning for what, Harry?" Luna asked.

"For when Voldemort comes for the school. We're going to have to work out the best way to protect it. I reckon that if the DA takes on the responsibility of getting the students to safety, then that leaves more of the teachers and adults to fight outside."

"Why can't we fight?" Dean asked. "It's our school as well. We can hold our own in a duel."

Harry nodded. "I know you can, Dean." he said, knowing how hard the DA had been working over the past few months. "But do you really think McGonagall would let us? She and the other teachers would be more worried about us getting hurt than focusing their own attention on the fight. However, there are many other students in the school that will need protecting, especially the younger ones. I'm sure that McGonagall will see the benefits of having the most talented students being there to protect the others. Besides, isn't that's what prefects are for? Leading and helping the other students?"

The DA members looked at each other, and Harry saw agreement in their expressions. "We'd have to find a safe place to take them, and an escape route should things turn completely sour." Susan said.

Dean nodded. "And we can put traps throughout the school." he glanced at Harry. "The teachers don't necessarily need to know about them, but would mean that any Death Eaters would get a bit of shock should they manage to get in."

Harry nodded. "I think you should also speak to the house elves in the kitchen. If you explain the situation to them, they could help you with the knowledge they have of the castle. There isn't a wizard in this school that has more information about what lies within it's walls than they do."

The DA nodded, and immediately crowded around a table, passing about scraps of parchment as they started throwing about ideas.

Harry stood back from the group, still near the portrait entrance as he felt himself fill with a sense of pride, glad that that his "students" were teaming together to help save the school in their own way.

He felt movement beside him and saw his two most trusted friends and his girlfriend standing there. It wasn't long before Neville and Luna joined them in staring at the boy-who-lived.

"What?" Harry asked, a little uncomfortable with the attention they were giving him.

"That was either a very good plan of motivation you came up with, Potter." Ginny said in a low voice, devoid of any emotion and even resembling hostile. "Or you were trying to distract them from the real issue at hand here."

Harry huffed a little in annoyance. "Look, we're going to be working hard at making this as safe as possible, but you can't deny that this is what the Wizarding community needs. I'm putting Moody in charge of activating my portkey personally, and you know how paranoid he is! Everything will go as planned, I promise. And then I have no excuse but to be locked away somewhere waiting for everyone else to finish the fight."

"You would really do that?" Hermione asked, disbelievingly.

"I promised, didn't I?" Harry said, and lowered his voice so it sounded more gentle. "And I meant it. I know what I would do to make sure that you guys are safe, and it may have taken a while to sink in, but I realise now that you would return that loyalty in a heartbeat. If I'm safe and out the way then I want you guys to promise me that you'll keep an eye out for each other. I don't know what I would do if I lost any of you."

He suddenly found himself wrapped in a hug as Hermione and Ginny pounced on him, tears falling down both their faces. But as Harry looked over their shoulder, he saw Ron there shaking his head.

"I wish I could believe you, mate." he said regretfully. "I know this is not about the fame, and I can see the benefits for doing it, but I get the impression there's something bigger at work here."

Harry shook his head. "I promise to stick to the plan, and to go into hiding once it's over." he said, meeting his friend square in the eye, and praying that Ron wouldn't see his deception. It was true, he was planning on sticking to the plan, though not the one his friends were aware of, and he didn't believe that he would ever make it to the safe place that the Order was preparing for him.

Ron gave a small smile. "As long as you do." he said, though Harry could still see the distrust, and fear, in his friend's eye, along with the desire of wanting to believe that what Harry said was true.

Harry smiled what he hoped was a reassuring smile at his friend then wrapped an arm around his girlfriend and look to Hermione, who still had glassy eyes from where she had spilled a few tears. "Now, I'm going to need someone to help me write a speech…"

////

The next evening Harry lent against the wall in the shack, his wand held loosely in one hand as he waited for Snape to arrive.

It didn't take long, Harry remembered that Snape had always been one for promptness whilst teaching at the school. He no longer wore the billowing black cloak that had made him so distinctive in the corridors of Hogwarts though, instead he wore a shorter and heavier cloak, Harry could see the benefits of which would assist rather than hinder the wizard when duelling. His face was a pale as ever, his hair still unkempt though, for the first time Harry had ever seen, it was now tied back with a ribbon at the base of his neck.

Behind him followed Draco Malfoy. Harry frowned as he saw his old nemesis. Draco could never have been described as well-built, but the teenager that Harry saw before him was a shadow of the bully that he remembered. Malfoy's pale face was several shades whiter than before he had left the school, and though his hair was clean, it was clear that it had been several months since he had had it cut and was no where near as groomed as it had been when he had attended school.

Harry just nodded, not wanting to start the forced relationship with an argument by commenting on his looks. "Malfoy." he greeted.

Malfoy, on the other hand, had not been aware of Harry's physical changes the previous year, and stared in shock at the tall young man before him.

"What the hell happened to you, Potter?" Malfoy asked, revealing that even if he did look different, his attitude hadn't changed. "Herbology accident?"

Harry just shook his head. "You really expected me to stay as short as a first year all my life?" he retorted before looking to Snape. "You ready for this?" he asked.

Snape snorted slightly. "Ready for what, Potter? All I have to do is send word once you've achieved the impossible."

Harry nodded, and started to brief the potions master. "The speech will be held next week, Wednesday, mid-afternoon in Hogsmeade. I'm afraid we haven't got an exact time for me to be on stage, but as there will only be two speakers you can't get it too wrong. I've managed to convince security to let me stay on, or at least near the stage whilst Arthur speaks and I will follow him with a few words, so I will be present throughout everything.

"Both Arthur and anyone else nearby will have portkeys that will be activated once the Death Eaters show, leaving only myself and a few others behind to make it believable. We're planning on making it look like that the portkey malfunctioned, though you should be able to easily persuade people that I had thrown it away to ensure everyone else's safety above my own. The wizards protecting the stage from behind will be port keyed away, so that will be my planned escape route. If you want extra house points, I suggest you stand there to capture me yourself, as that will be the direction I run in." Harry hesitated. "I think I would actually prefer it if it were you. At least that guarantees I'm not killed by some "accident" before I even make it back to his Greatness."

"Who do I send word to once the deed is done?" Snape asked, agreeing with what Harry had said so far. It gave Harry some relief knowing that Snape wouldn't make it look so obvious that he was going easy on the Potter boy, but at least it would minimise the initial risk of being captured.

"Kingsley would be the best bet." Harry said. "He and Moody are the only ones aware of the bigger plan. They aren't happy about it, but until they come up with a better plan then I've made it clear that they have no choice."

"They trust me to help?" Snape asked.

Harry dropped his gaze. "Not exactly. They are trusting me. They don't know who my contact is yet. I think Kingsley my be less judgmental and more open to the suggestion that you're my contact."

"And when exactly do you propose to tell them?" Snape asked, his face taking on it's usual emotionless mask, but one eyebrow quirking up in query.

"I'm leaving them a letter explaining everything." Harry explained. "As soon as I'm gone, Kingsley is going to call an Order meeting and is going to read out the letter, word for word. If they knew it was you before the event I doubt they'd ever go along with the idea and we'd be stuck."

"And what is going to happen to me?" Malfoy said, sounding very much the spoilt rich-kid that Harry had always thought him to be.

"I have a safe place for you in the school." Harry said. "You are to stay locked up and out of sight. I have two house elves who will make sure that you are safe and well-fed. No one will find you until they've read the letter explaining what's happening and where you are. No doubt you will be given veritaserum in order to verify what the plan was, and whether or not you believe Snape to be trustworthy. For both our sakes I hope you won't mess that up."

"So I'm going to be your prisoner?" Malfoy asked.

Harry just rolled his eyes. "If you like I could give you some polyjuice potion instead and you could take my place? I don't know which I'd prefer, being kept in the dungeons of a safe, sturdy school full of light wizards and being waited on hand and foot by house elves, or being forced to my knees in front of the scariest dark lord ever?"

If possible, Malfoy's countenance dropped a shade paler.

"It wouldn't work." Snape said snidely from the side. "Malfoy is Slytherin through and through, he hasn't got the courage needed to replace you."

Harry cracked a smile as Malfoy spluttered, believing that the older man had actually considered the idea.

"I thank you for the compliment." Harry said with a gracious nod.

"Oh, it was no compliment." Snape assured him with a dry tone. "It takes an idiot to do what you are planning on doing, whether he has courage or not. Is there anything else I need to know? I should get back before I'm missed."

Harry thought for a moment. "I don't think so." he said, then hesitated. "Though, should anything go wrong and…" he broke off, sending a look Snape's way to make it clear what he meant. "I suggest that you don't return to the school. Knowing my lot, they'll want to seek revenge on the first thing they can blame. And they have no reason to listen to your explanation before shooting their wands."

Snape nodded. "In all honesty, Potter, I wasn't planning on returning to British Wizarding Society at all. Like you, I think I'd be grateful if I manage to finish this with my life."

Harry nodded and held out his hand. " 'Till we next meet."

Snape nodded. "Good luck, Potter." he said as he shook the offered hand firmly. "For all our sakes."

Potter nodded and looked over to Malfoy. "C'mon," he said, "I'll let you lead the way, if that's alright with you?"

Malfoy's eyes narrowed as he left the room, but Harry shared a knowing look with his old professor nodded to show his agreement with his decision.


	48. Hogsmeade

_Yea!!! I'm getting more and more reviews. Thanks. They're such a motivation booster so keep them coming!!! Enjoy!_

Chapter 48

Harry sat in the dormitory, flipping through the prompt cards that Hermione had written out neatly for him. He had dressed himself in smart robes, combed his hair as best he could and was now just trying to prepare himself mentally for what he was about to do.

If he was going to be honest with himself he was beginning to doubt his decision. However much he had convinced himself this was the right thing to do, and how strong he had been about it over the past week, Harry was just beginning to realise the what the consequences would be of willingly letting himself be taken into Voldemort's clutches.

He looked around the room, seeing the empty beds of his Gryffindor room mates. Though he associated a lot of bad memories with the room, there were also a lot of enjoyable, everyday memories that came easily to mind. Neville tripping over his slippers every morning on the way to the bathroom, Seamus' snores, Dean's one-sided football arguments… and Ron. His best mate from the first day. They had their ups and downs, but Harry knew he could never have asked for a better friend.

He reached under his pillow and pulled out the three letters he had left there. One had been addressed to Ron and Hermione, thanking them for all their support, and admitting that he was once again hooked to doing his "saving people thing". The second was for Ginny, thanking her for teaching him about love, and expressing his regrets that things couldn't be the way they wanted. The final was addressed to the Order. It was considerably thicker than the other two, and contained full explanations, apologies and small messages to his other friends and family. He had spent a full two days writing them, locked away from his friends who had still been required to attend classes. He had wanted them to be perfect, and on more than one occasion he had wished Hermione was there to help him phrase his sentiments correctly, without making them sound like a badly written poem.

He sighed, trying to push back the tears that were threatening to spill as he placed the letters back into their hiding place, meticulously smoothing out the creases in his pillow, trying to make what could be his final memory of the dormitory as perfect as possible.

"Second thoughts, Potter?"

Harry looked up to see One-Eyed Moody standing the doorway, leaning heavily on his stick, and his magical eye unnaturally still.

Harry shrugged as he stood, picking up the prompt cards once more and placing them in an inner pocket. "I admit I feel like I'm walking to my execution." he said in a low tone, his voice catching slightly. He looked away from Moody, walking to the window and taking a deep breath to steel his nerves.

"I would say that you don't have to do this, that we'd find another way. But we both know that probably wouldn't be the case." Moody said after a short silence. Harry heard the wizard walk up behind him and felt his gnarled hand rest lightly on his shoulder. "The wizarding world owes you a lot for what you're doing today, Harry. I just wish that there was something I could say that could help."

Harry gave a small smile and looked at him. "You're already doing it." he said with a nod. "Trusting me enough to let me go ahead with it. And knowing that you will be there for my friends when I'm gone. I can tell you now it's not going to be easy to face them when they realise what you let me do."

"I've dealt with worse." Moody said, then tightened his grip and pulled Harry into a fierce one armed embrace. Harry froze momentarily, having never been so close to the solitary wizard before. Then he returned the show of affection briefly before the veteran pulled away. "You're parents would be so proud of you today." he said sincerely.

Harry sighed, and bit back the comment that popped into his mind about the possibility of them telling him that themselves by the end of the afternoon.

"We'd better get going." he said.

Moody nodded. "All your friends are in class." he assured the boy as they made their way out of the common room and into the hallway. "The teachers are aware that they are to notify McGonagall immediately should any of them disappear for any reason. If they do so then she'll have direct contact with myself down in the village."

Harry just stayed silent as Moody went through other contingency plans that they had made for the day. Harry knew that the older man was trying to reassure him that his friends would be safe, but Harry found his mind just wasn't focusing on anything other than the deep sense of dread that he was beginning to feel. He could sense every breath he made as they made their way through the grounds, and every heartbeat seemed to pulse so precisely it was as if they were counting down.

He looked back at the castle as they walked, but immediately forced himself to look away. _This is not a time to get cold feet, Potter_ he snarled mentally to himself and continued to force himself to place one foot in front of the other until they walked into the village.

A small stage had been placed in the middle of the small town square, a podium placed at the front. Harry walked up to Kingsley and Arthur Weasley who both greeted him.

"Have your speech all ready, Harry?" Arthur asked brightly.

Harry simply nodded, briefly wondering how much of Hermione's effort would be heard by the spectators before he was whisked away.

Arthur misinterpreted his silence to be nerves. "Come now, Harry. Just think of it as one of those DA classes I've heard so much about. From what Ginny and Ron have told me, you are a natural public speaker. You have no need for nerves today."

Harry could only bring himself to nod again as Moody directed Arthur to the stage to start the announcements.

"You okay, Harry?" Kingsley asked softly.

Harry shook his head, looking around the village and the faces that he could see. There were only about thirty people standing in front of the staging area, and many of them were local residents who had ventured out to see what was going on. He could clearly distinguish between the media, standing with their cameras, recording devices and notebooks and the well respected figureheads of the Wizangamot. He could see several members of the Order standing around the outskirts of the town square, to serve as a protection team should Voldemort turn up. He made eye contact with Remus and Tonks, who were standing close to one another and both nodded reassuringly to him. He could also see the twins moving in and out of the crowd handing out Safety Pins, the small one-use port keys they had designed. As far as they were aware, it was a precautionary measure, as well as a good opportunity for advertising their product. In reality, Harry knew that each portkey could be activated by a code word that would be shouted by Kingsley or Moody once the Death Eaters turned up, sending all that carried them into the safety of Hogwart's main hall.

"Did you write those letters?" Kingsley asked softly.

Harry nodded. "They're under my pillow in the dorm." he said. "Should explain everything to the Order." he hesitated. "There are a couple there for Ron, Hermione and Ginny as well." he said. "Just in case…" Kingsley nodded. "I filed my will with Gringotts this weekend." Harry added, feeling that he should tell someone about what he had done. "Most of the Potter's money will be left to the Weasleys. Some to Hermione. Most of my possessions will go to Remus. I'm not entirely sure what else the Potter vault holds, I don't think I was supposed to be able to access it until after school. But I requested most things get spread evenly between my friends."

"Keep a positive mind, Potter." he said. "You have a habit of getting out of these sorts of things. I'm sure you'll be returning to us again soon."

Harry sighed. "I'd like to think so." he said. "But in most other situations, trouble seems to find me. This time, I'm inviting it."

With a small cough, Arthur Weasley drew the crowd's attention to himself and Harry watched as he shuffled his notes before addressing the village. There was no need for a sonorus charm, as long as he spoke loudly and clearly the small crowd in front of him would be able to hear.

"I must thank you all for coming in these dangerous times." he started. "With the threat that is looming over us, I understand your need to want to protect yourselves and your loved ones, and meeting so blatantly in public like this to talk about that which scares us the most is tribute to the courage that each one of possesses.

"There has been terrible news recently about the death of the Minister and the consequent concerns that the Ministry is in disarray and no longer able to protect us. I am afraid to say that this is true, and though staff at the ministry are working hard to reclaim some sort of stature, it will be some time before we have a functional ministry again."

He held up his hands as his admission caused several people to talk in the crowd, voicing their concerns about what to do next.

"I have been nominated to stand before you today as a worker of the ministry, but most of all as a father who's only desire is to protect his family and see them grow up in a time that isn't shadowed in fear. Just because we can't rely on the ministry doesn't mean that we have to give in to You-Know-Who's fear campaign. Before he died, Albus Dumbledore created a group that would step forward in such dire times to help unite us and lead the way. This group is formed of people much like you and I, with the aim to show that we, the people, no longer have to rely on others in authority for direction. Instead, if we work together we can protect our families and friends, and ultimately create a better way of life. This group is called the Order of the Phoenix and I hope that you will stand with us and help us rise from these ashes, free from fear and death."

Harry didn't expect a round of applause, but the silence that followed was testament to the fact that every wizard feared for his life should he step out of line. In any normal time, Arthur's moving words would have created a roar of approval, but on this occasion, all that could be heard was one voice call out "But what can we do?"

"In the summer of last year, Harry Potter stood in Diagon Alley and suggested that the Ministry print a leaflet explaining how you can protect your homes and families." he held up a copy of the leaflet. "This is still available and contains valuable information that could save lives. For those that are weaker in magical knowledge or unable to assist us further, then I advise you to get a copy and read this if you haven't already in order to protect your homes."

"And the rest of us?" the voice called out again.

Arthur nodded. "I'm going to pass to a friend and colleague of mine who should be able to explain things further. May I introduce Harry Potter."

Harry took a deep breath to steady his nerves. There had been no sign of any Death Eater activity yet, but a hand on his shoulder from Kingsley as he walked up the steps onto the stage passed on the powerful message of support and well wishes. Harry walked across the stage, smiling at Arthur before taking his place at the podium. Like before, there was no clapping or calling out as he stood there, rather a sea of shocked faces stood before him, wondering why the Chosen One would stand so seemingly unprotected in order to talk with them.

"Before I answer your question." Harry started, "I'd just like to explain some truths to you all. I am not all powerful. I am not the chosen one. I am simply a seventeen year old wizard who had been pursued his entire life by a Dark Lord who has been set on killing me since his curse went wrong when I was a baby.

"Because of this, I was removed from the wizarding world soon after my parents were killed. I was brought up with muggle relatives who didn't really want anything to do with me and my abilities. I had no knowledge of magic, of friends, nor of the fame that was waiting for me the moment I stepped foot into this world. And due to all the media attention I've had over the years, I feel that I hold the right more than any of you here to walk away from all this, from the people who have put an unfair share of responsibility and fame on my shoulders. I'd honestly like to hide myself away and say this has nothing to do with me. This is not my problem.

"But I won't.

"Since I have become a part of this world, I realise that it has equally become a fixed part of me. You shouldn't have to lock magic away. Be you pureblood, half-blood or muggle born. Or even halfbreeds, werewolves or some other magical creature. We all have the right to use magic freely, respecting the rights of each other to live in peace and not to have to go into hiding due to discrimination, segregation or fear.

"Because of my desire to see this world how it should be, I have stayed. And I'm willing to go and fight whoever or whatever needs to be fought to make that happen. But, realistically, what can one seventeen year old boy do? You build me up to be some sort of saviour when it is really up to you to save yourselves! It will take every capable witch and wizard to stand together and make it clear that living in fear is not what we want. And, by standing together, the sheer force of our numbers and the weight of our desires will be enough to intimidate even the most feared of all wizards…."

A loud laughter interrupted his speech. Harry gripped the sides of the podium, his cards still gripped in his left hand as his eyes fell on the image of Bellatrix Lestrange standing at the rear of the crowd. Where she had come from he didn't know, but everyone standing before him shrank back away from her, only to find that a circle of white masked faces now surrounded them.

"Do you really think that the Dark Lord is going to be scared of a weak thing like you?" She asked with another laugh, "No one is as powerful as He is!" and with that she screamed out "_mosmorde_" and shot her wand up into the air, sending a stream of dark smoke that formed the image of the skull and snake looming over the village.

Without thinking, Harry looked to where Kingsley was standing, to find him already lifting his wand and projecting the activation for the Safety Pins. With a blink most of the crowd had gone, including Arthur Weasley, leaving only a few Aurors and Order members who immediately started exchanging curses with the Death Eaters.

"Harry!"

Harry dived to the stage, taking shelter behind the podium. "It didn't work!" he shouted, playing his part though fear threatened to put a firm block on his thought processes, preventing him from remembering what to do next.

"Get to safety!" Kingsley shouted back, sending a number of curses over the stage in order to provide cover for Harry as he jumped off the back of the stage and started to sprint up the main road that led to Hogwarts, firing random spells over his shoulder as he ran.

Within twenty yards, his escape was blocked by a dark shadow and he suddenly felt a sharp pain to the side of the head. The sudden disorientation he felt sent him flying to the floor, his chin grazing the stoned path and his wand arm being caught awkwardly beneath him.

"That was graceful, Potter."

Harry turned himself over to see Snape looming over him, staring down his nose with the sneer that reminded the boy so much of his first potions class.

He watched as Snape raised his wand again and held his breath as a dark stream of magic headed towards him, hitting him in the chest and sucking all the light from his senses until he slipped into unconsciousness.


	49. Letters of regret

Thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! **does a happy jig*** you really don't know how good it is to finally receive a decent amount of reviews. I know there are a number of you reading this fic, and I've been slogging through hoping you like it, but it's such a relief having feedback saying that you do. Because of that I've been working hard on the chapter after this one, making it as long and as exciting as I can. This is just a bit of a inbetweener to keep you going till I'm ready to post.

Again, a big BIG thank you to you all. Hope to hear from you again soon! Kit. xxx

Chapter 49:

_My Friends, _

_My only request is that you let Kingsley/Moody finish reading aloud this letter before you draw any conclusions about what has just happened and start planning a reckless rescue attempt. For those of you that were close enough to me to sense something was amiss… you were right, though I feel this admission will not make you feel any better. It was my intent to put myself at risk today, just as the larger plan was to bait Voldemort to come and capture me. _

_I can imagine your faces and guess some of you will be sitting in shock, while the rest will be on their feet shouting at whoever is reading this letter. You may call me stubborn and stupid, and I fully agree with all those terms, but you must hear my reasoning. _

_Most of you know of the prophecy that had been guarded with such risk in the Department of Mysteries. Few of you, however, have heard the complete version. Well, here it is in full…_

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not… and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives… the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…

_You may wish to argue the case that there is someone else out there that this relates to, but it is clear in my mind that I am the one the prophecy refers to. As Dumbledore pointed out last year, even if the prophecy did not refer to me, my choice to stand against Voldemort has pushed me into this position of responsibility. It has given me the "power" and determination to defeat the Dark Lord._

_But even I'm not foolish enough to believe I stand a chance against Him in a duel. My interpretation of the prophecy is that it is up to me to get close to Voldemort, not to kill him but to set-up the opportunity for the rest of you. With your help I have destroyed all the horcruxes but one, and now I must get close enough to him to finish my job, and make Voldemort mortal and vulnerable. _

_Voldemort concerns himself with how I've managed to survive this long, and though he may try to convince himself that it is mostly due to luck - which it is - part of him is still unsure. He will risk everything to see if this thing which has kept me alive for so long is anything special and, if it is, how he can use it for his own devices. This gives me the opportunity to get close to him, for him to see that my true power is my determination to see this finished. _

_Once my task is complete you will hear word from a contact of mine in the Inner Circle. The way is then paved for your victory… as long as you attack with force and numbers he won't stand a chance. _

_My contact may surprise you, but please, I must ask you again to trust me. I have my reasons. My contact is Snape. I have met with him several times since Christmas and we have come to a truce. I'm sure Dumbledore's portrait will be able to explain better, but the circumstances under which he left Hogwarts were not quite what they seemed. What I saw happen that night was real, but was actually upon Dumbledore's request. He pulled a Life Debt on Snape that night, and ordered him to carry out the assassination. I have spoke to Snape about this, and I believe him to be truly remorseful. I'm the last person to want to admit this, but I trust him. So much so that I am putting my life in his hands._

_I know it will take more than my word to prove to you that I have not been confounded. Other than the evidence that can be seen when examined closer… his failure to take me in Diagon Alley for example, I have also left a character witness who can be forced to vouch for him. Call for Dobby or Kreacher and they will lead you to a disused room in the dungeons. The door is locked, but the key is hanging on the wall opposite. Inside you will find Draco Malfoy who has been in hiding since his failed attempt on the headmaster's life. With a strong dose of veritaserum he can you give you Snape's testimony. I only request you don't punish him for his arrogance, which has not decreased any in his absence, but you'll see by his appearance that he is not the Malfoy he once was. I'm thinking that if we offer him a friendship he may prove to be an invaluable source of information regarding the Death Eaters. _

_Well, my letter of explanation has come to a close. Yes, I'm foolish, arrogant and pigheaded. I completely agree with you that this is a stupid idea. But even though I can see all the risks, and they scare the hell out of me, sometimes the right thing to do isn't always the easiest. Snape has promised me that he'll do what he can to keep me alive, though both of us realise that alive doesn't always mean living. My promise still stands though, and when I return I promise that you can lock me up in a padded room and throw away the key… _

_But just in case…_

_Molly, Arthur and my Brothers… Thank you for all your support over the years, it is more than an orphan deserves, especially since your family is already so large. When I was a child I thought often of being part of a large family that cared, and you gave me much more than I ever thought possible. _

_To Dumbledore, McGonagall and my other teachers… thank you for your patience with me over the years. I'm sure you thought I'd be a breath of fresh air after teaching my father and his friends… I'm sorry if I disappointed!_

_Remus, Tonks, Bill and Fleur… your lessons over the past year have been amazing, and I'd recommend that you stay as a teaching team at Hogwarts in the future. Maybe split Defense Against the Dark Arts into the categories they deserve; defence, offence, creatures and curses? I leave the idea with you, but once more thank you all for the support you've given. _

_Kingsley and Moody… the same as above, but I also realise that I asked the impossible of you today. I am just grateful that you let me go through with this. _

_To everyone in the Order, thank you. Good luck. And I hope to see you all soon. _

* * *

_To Ron and Hermione_

_Well, here we are again. I've run off doing the unthinkable, and have made every effort to leave you behind once more. I hope that the letter to the Order has helped explain my reasons for this, but without Hermione proof reading, my letter just didn't seem to express what makes such clear sense in my mind. _

_I know I couldn't have done anything without either of you these past few years. My entire school life has revolved around you two and I know that I shouldn't have pushed you away all those times in the ways that I did. I guess that my upbringing didn't prepare me for how strong friendship could be. Half the time I didn't know the way I should be acting, and I'm sorry for every time I've snapped or blamed you for things that we my own fault._

_But even though my understanding of our friendship has changed, please realise that I could not bring you along on this final quest. Voldemort may not kill you straight out, but he would torture you within an inch of your lives to get what he wanted from me and I couldn't bare to see that happen. How you two have managed to escape his wrath so far is beyond me, but I refuse to risk it this time. _

_If I'm completely honest with you, and this hurts, I don't expect to make it out of this alive, which is why I've made arrangements with Snape to let you know when Nagini is dead. Even though he has given me his word to keep me alive to the best of his ability, Snape is Snape, and though I told everyone that I trust him part of me can't forget the way he treated me during potions lessons. _

_He did come out with a home truth though, that he used to be good friends with my mother. From the look in his eyes I could tell that their friendship went deeper than that, and I believe that he loved her. A lot. His treatment of me was not only from the hatred and jealousy that he felt for my father, but he was actually trying to push me away because of the guilt he felt for revealing the prophecy to Voldemort without researching who it might relate to first, causing my mother to die and myself to become an orphan. There isn't really much more to say about that. I've thought about it a couple of times since and I can now see the pain he has suffered over the past years after losing his friend but I'm not going to suddenly open my arms and forgive him. But I do ask you to give him a chance should he come back to the school once all this is done, especially if there is clear evidence that he has tried to help me. He's not a likable man, but at the same time I don't think he's as evil as we'd like him to be. And maybe I'm completely wrong about everything and he'll bring me back to school without a scratch… _

_Well, I guess this is goodbye, at least for the moment. Good luck to the both of you, and I hope to see you soon. Harry. _

_

* * *

  
_

_Dear Ginny, _

_Please don't hate me. I could see it in your eyes that you've been expecting me to do something like this for sometime now, and I'm sorry that your expectations of me proved to be true. This was the one thing I dreaded would happen when we started going out. I know you've made every effort to prepare yourself for my actions, but I know how much this will hurt. I know 'cause this decision is killing me inside. _

_I don't want to leave you Gin, but there really isn't any other way around this. Even if the prophecy didn't refer to me, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to see things made right. That's the "saving-people" thing within me. _

_I'm just sorry that I can't save you. _

_Most of all I'm sorry that I don't get to see the future that we planned together… the house, the quidditch career… the family. I know we're young but I would love to spend the rest of my life with you, Ginny, I really would… But you know my life was never going to be easy, and I'm sorry to let you down in such a horrid way. You are the one thing I'm going to miss above all else… _

_I love you. I always will. Harry. _


	50. Riddle Manor

_Thank you all muchly for all the reviews!!! It's so much more rewarding when I get feedback from those that enjoy it!!! In return, I hope you enjoy the next chapter! Kit. xxx_

Chapter 50:

Harry woke to find himself being half dragged, half carried up a path towards a large house. Through bleary eyes he looked past the procession of Death Eaters to recognise the old manor building built at the top of an overgrown hill overlooking a small village. Many windows were missing and ivy covered most of the front of the building, serving no purpose other than to hide the extent of disrepair and neglect that was once the Riddle House.

With a mental slap Harry wondered why they hadn't thought of looking there in the first place before he realised Voldemort wouldn't have left his home unguarded. It was bound to have every manner of notice-me-not, un-plottable and secrecy charms. No doubt Voldemort himself would be the secret keeper for his own fidelious charm. Harry doubted he would trust anyone else enough with a secret such as this.

Harry was currently being suspended by his elbows between two burly Death Eaters, his arms tied securely behind his back. Even though his mind was thinking clearly, Harry was unable to get his legs or body to function properly. It took a lot of effort to move his head up to look around, and his legs were so uncoordinated his feet were constantly dragging along the floor. The side of his face and his right shoulder were also sore from where Snape had hit him to the floor in Hogsmeade. With a sudden thought Harry realised that the curse that Snape had used on him had been intentional, making him appear semi-conscious and physically impaired whilst allowing lucid thought.

As they entered the grand but dark building, Harry had to wince as his ankles hit the stone threshold, causing the wizard on his left to lose his hold and drop Harry to one uncoordinated knee in the doorway. Harry immediately started to struggle, trying to pull his other arm free from the second captor.

He didn't really have any plans of escaping, not yet anyway, but he knew that it would seem too unnatural for the Golden boy of Gryffindor to be captured without any sort of resistance. But the weakness in his limbs prevented him from pulling free, and a sharp clout to the back of his head caused him to see stars as he was lifted again and walked across the main reception room through a set of double doors.

Harry continued to struggle as he was dragged along a long, straight corridor, but the two death eaters walking either side of him and the residue of the curse he had been hit with ensured he was never able to completely gain his balance. The result of which was that he was being pushed along at a stumbling trot, catching glimpses of closed doors and unmoving muggle portraits before being pulled up before another set of double doors.

The paneled doors were pushed open by one Death Eater to reveal what had once been a large dining hall. It was nothing compared to the size of the Great Hall in Hogwarts, but it still showed rich grandeur with high ceilings and dark wood paneling. The long table that would have once sat the Riddle family - _and at which they had died _Harry remembered - had been removed from the room. The only item of furniture that could be seen in the dusky light from the early winter sunset was a large empty chair set centrally before a large fireplace, facing out into the room and set upon a platform so that Voldemort could still stare out over his minions, even when sat.

At this moment in time the chair was empty. But even though Voldemort couldn't be seen, Harry knew he was close due to the dull ache in his scar that was becoming increasingly hard to ignore. Within moments, the low murmur of voices from the people already in the room and those that arrived with Harry ceased as his attendance was acknowledged by a voice that sent a cold shiver down Harry's spine and a stab of pain through the scar of his forehead.

"Harry! My dear boy! It's such a pleasure to see you again!"

Harry stumbled further into the room with a not-so-gentle push to his shoulder. He was given another shove before he could regain his balance and was forced to his knees, a heavy weight descending sharply into the base of his neck sending him the final distance to the stone floor and hold him there. He felt his glasses press uncomfortably into the bridge of his nose and the rim of this left lens cut into his already injured cheek causing the blood to swell.

He struggled to shift his face slightly to look at the Death Eaters to his right.

"Don't move, boy." a male voice from behind him said, and he grunted as a foot descended heavily onto the top of his back between the shoulders, pushing his face further into the floor.

Harry blinked back some tears of pain and looked around the room he was now in. From his limited field of vision he could see the large hall had long leaded windows looking out into the quickly darkening sky. He also spotted the heeled boots of Bellatrix Lestrange, standing near the worn, flat dragon-hide footwear of Fenrir. Between their legs, however, Harry made eye contact with the dark gaze of his old potions professor who was standing towards the back of the Death Eater crowd.

From his prone and vulnerable position, Harry was unable to work out how to read his professor's blank expression. He asked a silent question with his eyes hoping for a response from the professor that would indicate his loyalty to the plan they had devised. Harry knew Snape couldn't do much to help him at the moment, but for some reason Harry craved some sort of reassurance to give him the strength to carry on.

The turn-coat Death Eater dropped his head a little once he was sure he had Harry's attention, a movement which Harry interpreted to mean that he was on his own for the meantime. But the acknowledgment was all that he needed for the foolish courage that had given birth to the whole idea to come streaming back into his limbs, quickly spreading to encompass his entire body. He began to struggle, knocking his heels up and connecting with the wizard's knee who still had his foot on his back.

The weight moved and Harry rolled over onto his side and back onto his knees, surging up and spinning to face whatever Death Eaters were headed his way.

This overbalanced charge was brought to an abrupt halt as he stumbled face to face with the blood red eyes and snake like features of the darkest wizard of the age.

"Hello, Harry." Voldemort said, his lipless mouth widening into what Harry could only assume was a smile.

"No!" Harry shouted at him, spinning and sprinting in the other direction, only to be grabbed after a couple of yards and flung backwards on to the floor, his left shoulder cracking horribly as he landed on his bound hands, his glasses falling askew on his face.

Several Death Eaters rushed forward to help restrain him, but with a swell of magic and a snarl from Harry they were all blown back, many of them unbalanced and falling to the floor.

With a breath Harry found that the ropes that had held his wrists had fallen free, and he was able to use his hands to push himself to his feet. He sprinted across the hall away from Voldemort who - unbeknown to the boy who was running away from him - was grinning like a cat would when playing with a mouse.

Harry had stumbled the first few steps, trying to get his uncoordinated feet to work properly as he pushed aside the few Death Eaters who hadn't fallen prey to his wave of wandless magic. He now aimed his sprint for a small door to the right of the fireplace in the back wall. To his relief the door flew open at his touch. He spun on one foot, his arm flying out to slam the door close and then he barricaded the door with a long wooden bench that lined one wall of the corridor, making it difficult for anyone to follow him.

He spun again, pushing his glasses straighter on his face as he ran through corridor after corridor, going through a mixture of doors before finding himself in a tight, dark corridor with no windows. He shut the door behind him and stood still, trying to catch his breath as quietly as possible as he waited for eyes to adjust to the darkness.

His hand reached for his pocket where he kept his wand, and though he knew what he would find he still hissed out a curse as he realised that it had been taken. He mentally berated himself for not giving Kingsley his wand before he went up on the stage in Hogsmeade. No doubt Voldemort had it by now, and was planning on using for his own devises as it was brother wand to his own, if it hadn't already been destroyed.

He blinked his eyes a couple of times as the room became more in focus. It seemed to be some sort of servants corridor, with no carpet, no windows nor paintings hanging on the wall. An occasional wooden table lined the hallway, once resting places for silver trays lined with teacups and afternoon cakes whilst the servant would open the door to allow themselves access to the room beyond.

These doors only stretched along the left hand side of the corridor Harry was in. The right was solid panel, and he had to hold his breath tight as he heard clear shouting from Fenrir and sound of heavy footsteps pass as Death Eaters walked down the main corridor that ran on the other side of the thin paneling.

Once the corridor had quietened again, Harry quietly made his way through the darkness, trying to form some sort of layout of the building in his mind. He supposed that Nagini would be kept in one of the bedrooms, or maybe the study he had seen in his vision that time. But a manor this size would have several floors, each with numerous bedrooms, and though Harry could vaguely remember the directions to the study from his vision, it didn't help that he didn't know where he was at the moment.

With a start, Harry flattened himself against the wall again as more footsteps ran down the corridor alongside his own. It seemed that even through the manor was large enough to work against Harry's search for the snake, it was too small to be able to hide him effectively for very long from the large number of wizards hunting him.

He summoned his courage and took hold of the brass handle to the door immediately to his left. He quietly turned the handle and walked cautiously into the room.

He found himself in an empty room that was better lit than the corridor he had just come from. There was no furniture in the room that indicated once it had been used for, the only feature being a wide fireplace built into one wall.

Harry quietly closed the door behind him and was surprised to notice that the frame could barely be seen. The servants were obviously supposed go about their business without being seen or heard as much as possible… much like the House Elves in the wizarding world. He mentally made a note of this, wondering if he could navigate throughout the whole building via the servants corridors before Voldemort ordered them to be searched.

Harry started as he heard a voice call out from the main entrance door to the room. With a panic he tried to open the door he had just come through, but as his hand hit the place where the handle should have been it gripped thin air. The door must need to be opened with a secret catch that he knew he didn't have time to look for.

He cast his eyes around the room, looking for somewhere to hide. With a few long strides he made his way to the fire, dropping to one knee to duck under the mantle. He reached his hands up the inside, struggling to find some sort of handhold. Within a few moments he found a few missing bricks and was able to haul himself up into the darkness, bringing his feet up out of sight just as he heard the door to the room open.

He heard a few light steps enter the room. From the lack of conversation and rustling of thick clothes, Harry assumed that one of the few female Death Eaters had entered the room by herself. Not that he would underestimate a female. Duelling Tonks, Hermione and Ginny had taught him that he should never do that, but knowing that the person was alone and likely to be smaller than him gave him a little reassurance.

He winced as his foot slipped a little, sending a small flake of old soot into the fireplace below. With a grimace he heard a cackle from the other side of the brick chimney wall in front of him. There was no disputing the laugh - it was Bellatrix Lestrange that had entered the room.

"Oh-ho! I believe baby Potter wants to play!"

He grimaced as he felt the power of a spell coming towards him, and released his grip, trying to drop out of the way before whatever spell it was hit the wall in front of him.

He wasn't quick enough, and his body was slammed forcefully into the rear wall of the hearth as the brick in front of him was blasted apart, pummeling his body with bricks and plaster and suffocating him in dust.

He fell to the floor in a heap, trying to protect his head with his arms as debris continued to fall around him.

As the dust began to settle he looked up to see Bellatrix looking at him from a few inches away, her gaze caused a ball of fear to swell in his stomach, making him feel very sick.

"Found you." she whispered with a sadistic smile, before waving her wand and sending a spell towards Harry that he had experienced too many times before. "CRUCIO!"

Harry's back arched against the bricks that had fallen from the damaged chimney and his body spasmed as he screamed until his breath ran out. He had no idea of how much time passed before he became aware that, though his body was still jerking uncontrollably, the spell had stopped.

"He is to be alive!" he heard a voice saying.

In his blurry mind he could picture Bellatrix pouting like a spoilt child, but he had to be grateful to whoever had walked into the room as he felt a cloud of magic surround him, lifting his body none-to-carefully from the huddled heap he was lying in and carry him to the hall he had just run from.

It wasn't long before he felt his head once more aching with the close proximity of the Dark Lord. He felt heavy breath upon his face as some one spoke to him, but his mind was feeling decidedly shaky and he was unable to focus on the face in front of him.

He felt himself being turned over and his face once more pressed against the floor. With a detached thought, Harry concluded that he had lost his glasses in the chimney incident, and that was the reason why he was having problems focusing. With that simple thought he was able latch himself onto reality and force himself to push through the pain that was fogging his mind to listen what was going on around him in order to find out what was going to happen next.

"Bring me that knife!"

He groaned as he turned his head to the voice, seeing a flash of silver before "hold him down!" was shouted into his ear.

He felt what seemed to be an army of hands press against his back, pushing his body into the floor. With two sharps tugs he felt his shoes being pulled from his feet and he steeled himself in confusion. Being unable to turn his head to see what they were doing, Harry was completely unable to work out what their intentions were.

"Maybe this will stop you running off." Voldemort snarled, and Harry felt a sharp pain across the bottom of his foot.

He hissed in pain, jerking his leg to try and remove the sensitive soles of his feet from the source of the pain. The hands that held him gripped harder, causing bruises of their own as both his feet were slashed several more times.

When the hands finally moved from his body, Harry pulled his legs up, twisting slightly onto one side to bring them into his chest. He could feel the tops of his feet sliding in a thin pool of blood as he moved them, and the cuts across the bottoms stung with a pain that he couldn't compare to anything he had felt before.

"Now, where to keep you to prevent a repeat of that impressively strong and uncontrollable magic you possess?"

Harry tried to block out the silky voice as Voldemort walked around his body. His body involuntarily jerked again and he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, a repercussion from the Cruciatus curse he had just been submitted to.

As he spat out a small mouthful of blood onto the wooden floor he noticed something large in the corner of his fuzzy eyesight, and rolled back just in time to allow something heavy slam to the floor inches from his head.

Harry coughed from the dust cloud that had engulfed his head as he was pulled to his knees. He opened his eyes again and could just make out the blurred outline of a large chest, it's top open revealing a dark interior.

"I've heard that you've grown up used to tight spaces, Potter." Voldemort said, and Harry began to sense where this was going. He started to struggle as the hands that held him started to push him towards the gaping black hole that filled his vision. "I'm sure this will suit your standards well."

Harry started to shout, unaware that his voice had already been broken by his earlier screams and that all he was emitting were painful croaks. He struggled desperately against his captors, and more Death Eaters came up to help control him.

His feet were pushed into the box first, and held in place as something hard was hit against the back of his rigid knees, causing them to fold and allowing the wizards around him to push him further into the box. He managed to get one arm free and swung his hand hard, gripping a handful of hair that he came into contact with and giving it a sharp tug before scratching his short nails across another wizard's face.

His retaliation was short lived as he once again felt something heavy land against the back of his neck, causing his body to fall limp and his eyesight to haze over, and allowing the Death Eaters to force him further into the chest.

He curled up in the sheltered darkness and looked up into the light that shone from torches mounted on the walls of the hall now that the sun had disappeared.

"I always wanted to show the world how easy it was to defeat you." Voldemort said in a calm voice, leaning into the box and running his bony finger down the side of Harry's face. "But maybe it will just be easier to bury you and forget you ever existed!"

Harry snarled and lunged forward, only to have his charge blocked by the lid of the chest coming down and locking into place.

He screamed in the sudden darkness, slamming his hands against the lid and pushing his knees against the side in every attempt to push himself free.

He didn't know how long he kept up his futile attempts, and wasn't aware of the point when his rage turned into distress or when his tears of anger changed to tears of fear.

He fell silent, exhausted, listening carefully for any sign of life outside the dark box he was being held in. But he heard nothing. He was alone, in the dark, without a hope.

He began to cry even more, realising one more important feature; He had failed!


	51. The search begins

_Got to be quick, but thanks again to all those that reviewed!!!! xxxx_

Chapter 51:

The Order forced themselves to wait a tense 48 hours after Harry's abduction before calling themselves together for another meeting to discuss the best way forward.

Moody and Kingsley had kept their word to Harry, and called his closest friends to join the meeting as soon as the situation in Hogsmeade had been diffused. With a strong baritone, Kingsley had read Harry's letter aloud, pausing to allow for shouts of disbelief and tears, and with a heavy heart he had handed the other two letters to his three best friends.

The heated discussion that followed ended in an agreement to wait two days before initiating any search for Harry, to give him chance to do his self-set task and for Snape to get word back to them of his success. If they had not heard from either by that time, Kingsley and Moody agreed with the Weasleys to assume that Harry, for whatever reason, had been unable to kill the snake or that Snape had deceived them once again and was not going to send them word.

The day after the Hogsmeade incident had been spent grilling Malfoy for all he information he had. The Order had started with veritaserum, with Kingsley, Bill and Alastor Moody present. After the potion had worn off the Hogwarts based Order, now including Ron and Hermione, had say with him, asking him for all the intelligence he could give about Voldemort's plans and the identities of his followers in return for safe sanctuary at the school. He was surprisingly willing, and in return was shocked when Hermione and Ron had held out their hands in friendship at the end of the meeting, mindful of Harry's words that Malfoy was now alone and no longer heir to the Malfoy fortune.

By the second morning after Harry's disappearance his adopted family had become frantic, demanding the Order meeting should happen early in the day to address several pending issues and, most importantly, to initiate the search for the lost boy.

To start the meeting, Ron and Hermione stood before the long table in the magically expanded head mistress's office, surrounded by the leading members of the DA. Hermione, with Ron's help, explained the safety procedures they had already put into place in order to protect the students should the school come under attack, as well as how they had utilised the use of the House Elves extraordinary magic and the final steps they had planned should they need to evacuate the school.

"So, where is this safe place that can hide the students?" McGonagall asked. "The only room big enough for the whole student population is the Great Hall, and I'm sure you can understand my concerns about holding people there?"

"There is a room called the Room of Requirement." Hermione explained. "Also known as the Come-and-Go room. We stumbled across it a couple of years ago and used it for our DA lessons. We haven't used it in recent years, seeing we haven't had to hide our group, but it will provide us with exactly what we need. We believe that each of the four founders designed a special feature for the school, and that Helga Hufflepuff built this room for the sole purpose of providing a safe haven should her students need protecting."

"It's been a little misused over time." Ron said. "It's amazing how many people have asked for a place where something could be hidden and not be found, and not realised what a wonder the room is. It is filled with so much… well, if people have unknowingly been using it for centuries and no one has _really_ found it so far except us, then we're pretty sure it will be safe enough. And if we are discovered, then it can always provide us with an escape route should we ask for it."

"If that's not enough," Hermione added. "Fred and George have been working hard to create enough portkeys for every student and then some."

"You really have thought this out." Remus said with admiration.

"Harry asked us to." Neville said. "He knew you would never let us go out and fight, no matter how much we would argue. He pointed out that we could use what we've learned in a different way to help, and figured that this way we could keep ourselves safe, help keep the other students safe and free up more adults to help out where they'll be needed."

McGonagall held her hand out for the plans and Hermione passed them over. "I'll go over these with the other teachers." she said. "But I don't see any problems at this time. If anything, I'm proud of your dedication to help. I'll come along to your next meeting and we can talk about this further."

"Thank you." various voices said from the teenage group as they turned to leave.

"Sorry, Professor, but has there been any word of Harry?" Neville asked hesitantly, just before he left the room.

The group froze at the partially opened door and held their breaths, each hoping that the answer would be a positive one.

"I'm sorry, Mister Longbottom." McGonagall said with a shake of her head. "We've had no word yet."

"Ginny said you weren't even looking." Seamus said accusingly.

The adults in the room glanced at each other. "We weren't." Kingsley admitted aloud, causing the DA to emit sounds of disbelief and shock. "Though we have had our reasons."

"You think he's dead!" Luna said, her voice a sharp contrast to her usual wispy voice.

"He is not dead!" Ron snarled at her. "We're starting the search for him this afternoon, right?" he asked the adults around the table.

"We're going to discuss his possible whereabouts, yes." McGonagall said in attempt to sooth the angry youths.

"Let us know if we can help." Neville said, one hand on Luna's arm. He indicated the door to his friends and the DA left, leaving Ron and Hermione to take their seats next to the twins.

Ginny, silent throughout the presentation, hovered in the doorway after her friends had left, looking forlornly at the group. She made eye contact with her youngest brother and his girlfriend. Ron shrugged slightly, both he and Hermione had tried to convince the Order to let Ginny sit in on the meetings, but the best they had been able to do is promise the youngest Weasley that they would let her know any news as soon as they heard it.

Ginny looked to her parents. Molly Weasley sent one of her "looks" towards her daughter, but her eye contact was broken when her husband placed a hand on her arm and whispered something into her ear. Molly glanced at him, her features softening before flicking her wand to create a chair in the space next to her.

With a grateful smile, Ginny rushed around the table, brushing her hand with gratitude across her father's shoulders and then giving her mother a hug.

"This is an act of good faith." her mother said quietly. "I know how much you mean to one another and he was right before, you do deserve to know what's going on. But that does not give you permission to go running off on some crusade, understood?"

Ginny nodded. "I promise." she said.

"Right." Moody said, leading the meeting. "Where do we start?"

The table looked to one another, each hoping an other would start the meeting off with a good idea, but the room remained silent fro sometime.

"Diagon Alley has been pretty quiet." Fred eventually said. "No gossip to speak of, but that is likely due to the lack of customers."

"A lot of people were shocked by both the Minister's death and Harry's disappearance." George continued. "But most are using the events positively, and taking action because of it."

"And we quote… "Potter was right, we've taken too long to realise that relying on the Ministry isn't going to help. We're stronger if we stand together. He may have only been a kid, but we owe it to him to prove that he was right…"." Fred said, reading from a small scrap of parchment in front of him.

"They speak as if he's already dead." Fleur said in a sober voice.

"They probably think he is." Remus said. "They have no idea that it was intentional. All they know is that Voldemort has tried to kill him several times in the past, and probably don't want to imagine what he could be going through right about now if he was still alive."

"At least they aren't thinking he's a coward, like before." Ron said. "I was almost expecting the Prophet to be reporting all sorts of stories about him."

"I've been keeping a close eye on the articles printed by the Prophet." Kingsley said. "I'm making sure that they are printing only the truth. Enough to rally the people up to the cause, but not too much to cause unnecessary panic."

"Well, it's certainly been working by the amount of people coming to the school and offering their services." Tonks said. "How are we handling that by the way?"

"Fred and George are giving them alert beacons." McGonagall said. "Should anything happen, I'll drop the wards on the Quidditch pitch, the beacons will be activated to indicate something is wrong and they can apparate in to help protect the school and the students.

"Much like the coins we use in the DA." Ron muttered to Hermione.

"Hey, we had to get the idea from somewhere!" Fred said.

"We're planning on offering you a research and design job once you graduate." George added to Hermione, who had the grace to blush slightly.

"And the families that are asking for protection?" Charlie asked.

"I think we can provide it." McGonagall responded. "The third floor can be opened for their use. Many parents have already requested the use of a classroom or two in which to keep the children occupied."

"Which brings us back to Harry." Ginny said, interrupting slightly with her impatience. "Has there really been no word from him?"

"Nothing." Remus confirmed sadly.

"Charlie, Fleur and I have been working on two possible lines of investigation." Bill said, reaching under the table and lifting a heavy box onto the table. Charlie mimicked his actions with another box of similar size.

"First we've been looking through maps." he said, pulling out a couple of rolled parchment maps out of the box. "It's a long job, and we haven't started with the muggle maps yet, but we figured that he's bound to have various unplottable charms in order to avoid detection. We've already found some obvious areas which may be hiding a building of sorts. We just need to survey each site and find out which one is his."

"How many sites?" Moody asked.

Fleur pulled out some sheets of parchment from her bag and passed them over. "There are many." she admitted. "But from this list we can work out which are most likely and start with those."

"And what's in this box?" Arthur asked.

"Muggle newspapers." Charlie replied. "Mostly local papers covering the past few weeks. We haven't had a chance to go through them yet but, even if Voldemort is lying low, then there are bound to be something amiss in their neighbourhood; disappearances, thefts, strange lights, that sort of thing. If we can find where a story in the paper matches an empty area of map, then we may be onto a winner."

"Do you want the DA to take the papers?" Hermione asked. "We have a lot of people who can make the investigation run quicker, and Ron and I can let you know if there are any stories that warrant further investigation."

"We can even take the maps and see if the stories and locations match up." Ron said.

"The DA would do that?" Kingsley asked.

"We're determined to help." Ginny assured him. "And if you won't let us go out and search, then we might as well be useful with this."

Moody nodded. "Let's get to work then." he said, quickly copying the list of locations Fleur had given up. "Everyone pair up and report in after every location. Spend enough time to confirm whether it is a civilian or Death Eater abode, and we'll keep a running report here. Should you see any supporting evidence for Death Eater activity, report back immediately and we'll gather reinforcements to return with. Understood?"

The group nodded, every member eager to make a start.

"Then let's go!"


	52. Isolation

_So sorry for the delay for this update. Life is kinda taking over again... damn it! A quick but heartfelt thanks to all those who have been reviewing. I'll work hard to get next one up soon. Kit. xxx_

Chapter 52:

Harry had no way of knowing how long he slept. It felt like only a few minutes but it could well have been several hours. His head pounded from the repeated blows it had sustained and his shoulder and chest ached, both from the multiple times he had been pushed to the floor and from the explosion when Lestrange had blown apart the chimney.

He shifted slightly in the box, trying to work out how much room he had to move around. It didn't take long for him to realise that he could straighten his neck only if he had his heels pressed firmly against the back of his thighs, and if he were to relax his legs then his neck would cramp up. The most comfortable position, which wasn't saying much, was to partially lie on one side. His neck felt more natural in that position, making it easier to breathe, and his knees weren't rubbing against the lid of the chest.

Once the ergonomics of his prison had been assessed, Harry ran his hands over the parts of his body he could reach. The wounds on the bottom of his feet had stopped bleeding and had begun to heal over, though both were still very tender to the touch. It seemed as if he would physically survive, for the meantime at least, providing that his bladder didn't suddenly explode.

Mentally, he felt as if he had sat all his NEWTs and OWLs in one afternoon, followed closely by a drill session with Moody and Bill. His mind throbbed with every beat of his heart, and he wondered how much more of the Cruciatus curse he'd have been able to take before needing a bed next to Neville's parents in St. Mungos.

Without warning his right leg suddenly cramped up, snapping Harry out of his musings. In his tightly curled position he had no way of straightening his knee to ease the strain.

He bit his lip again, reopening the wound from before as he moaned in pain when the cramp which had started in his calf burnt it's way up his leg and into his thigh, causing the muscle there to knot up into a fist sized lump.

Without being able to move enough to test it, Harry was never sure whether or not the cramp passed or if he had just gotten used to the pain. It added to the list of many things he was no longer sure of. Like whether it was night or day, or even if his eyes were open or closed. In the darkness, the latter was easily rectified by pressing a finger into his eye. Knowing whether or not his eyes were open may have been a pointless exercise when he couldn't see anything anyway, but Harry felt it was a necessary action in order to keep himself sane and occupied whilst in isolation.

He wished several times that he still had his wand on him. Initially, his mind conjured grand images of blasting himself out of the box, but soon his wishes reduced in size to simply producing enough light to be able to dispel the darkness. He spent several long moments trying to conjure light wandlessly but with no success.

The worst moment came when Harry had to give into nature's call and release the contents of his bladder into the bottom of the chest. He had lain silently for several long hours, listening hard for any noise outside the box but there had been no sound, praying hard for some one to let him out so he could relieve himself, but no one came.

After the unpleasant deed had been done, Harry ran his fingers around the hinge and lid and was able to sense several charms that had been placed on the chest. One of which was most certainly a locking charm, most probably keyed into Voldemort himself. Another must have been a silencing charm as nothing else could have prevented sound from entering so effectively.

At that moment, Harry froze, vaguely recalling Voldemort's last words through pain filled haze as he was being locked away. He tried to calm his breathing, attempting to convince himself that panicking would not help if he was indeed buried six-feet under.

He pressed both his palms against the flat sides of the box, focusing his thoughts and trying to reach outside the enclosed space with his sixth sense. If he was able to recognise some sort of magic from outside his prison then at least he could reassure himself that he hadn't been buried alive.

With a slight cry, Harry pitched forward, bashing his nose and forehead against the backs of his hands as gravity within his box suddenly shifted. Someone was moving the chest. By the swinging, lofty movements Harry made the assumption that he was being carried by some sort of levitation charm.

It didn't take long before the movement stopped and the chest remained still. But Harry continued to brace himself. He hadn't felt the slight bump that would've indicated that the chest had been returned to solid ground.

His suspicions were rewarded by a further shift of gravity as the chest began to spin on the horizontal. With nothing to look at except darkness, it wasn't long before Harry started to feel nauseous.

His discomfort wasn't aided when the chest started to spin vertically, sending him tumbling in the tiny space from floor to side to lid and back to the floor again.

The movement went faster and faster, though soon it made no difference to Harry, who had lost consciousness soon after throwing up.

When Harry awoke again, it was to find himself struggling to breathe in the air thick with the smell of vomit and ammonia. He tried to feel disgusted that he was coated in both substances but, lying curled up in the dark with nothing positive to hope for, Harry couldn't bring himself to care.

It was hot shut inside the tight space. His torn shirt clung uncomfortably to his back and the places where he had been injured whilst tumbling. Several open wounds stung with the onset of infection, and each breath he took sounded loud and rasping in the darkness.

With a jump back into his senses, Harry realised that the heat he was feeling wasn't just uncomfortable, but also intentional. He looked about himself, foolishly trying to find the source of the excessive heat in the darkness.

When his visual search didn't reveal anything, he used his hands to find that the heat was coming from underneath the chest. He barked a loud, short laugh, cutting into the silence and insulting his sound-deprived ears. No doubt Voldemort and his followers were trying to roast him alive, a bit excessive maybe, but Harry wouldn't put cannibalism past them.

He was tempted to lie down and accept his fate, counting down the seconds until his heart couldn't take the heat any more and burst. Instead, his sense of self-preservation kicked in again and he shifted his position until he was able to minimise the amount of skin that was making contact with the bottom of the box. He managed to wriggle himself so that his weight was precariously balanced on one length of arm and the already injured soles of his feet. He weight was braced against the sides of the box with the back of his neck and his knees. He had no idea how long he would be able to hold the awkward position, and it took all his concentration and control not to move lest he should shift his balance beyond his control and fall.

He sweated and moaned in the steamy darkness as the smell of heated flesh thickened the already oppressive atmosphere inside the chest. He shifted one foot slightly when he could barely take any more, and winced as he felt his blistered flesh stick to the floor.

He began to pray aloud to whatever god that would listen, his voice cracking and tears falling down his face. He finally understood what true fear felt like and it struck him deep within his soul, paralyzing his breaths and causing large tremors to shake his body.

He pleaded to the blackness for his friends and family to believe him when he said he was sorry, and for them to forgive him and take away the pain he was feeling. He shut his eyes tight, trying to imagine his closest friends surrounding him and lending him their support. But when he opened his eyes, nothing had changed. The pain was still there, and he was still alone in the dark.


	53. Discovery

Chapter 53:

Charlie and Bill Weasley walked down the seldom used path towards the village. Between the trees they could see several older buildings built along an overgrown country road. Past the small village they could see evidence of a new residential estate being erected with temporary traffic lights and construction vehicles parked alongside the narrow road.

It was their second full day of searching, and as they made their way down the hill Charlie referred to the sheet of parchment he had in his hand.

"The DA have found two reports of youths going missing from this area." Charlie said aloud, tripping slightly as he tried to follow his brothers long strides along the uneven path and read at the same time. "Once a couple of months ago and most recently last week. A total of three boys, all in their late teens. There is no reference here to previous attempts to run away, or the inclination from any of them to do so. One of the articles mentioned that an elder man has also disappeared from the area several years back. He used to be caretaker of the old manor building here, and some suspicious locals thought he had been hiding out for the past three years, and has now returned to steal their children. There was no proof to indicate this was the case, however, and the missing person reports area still open for all four of them."

"What about the maps?" Bill asked . "Any suspicious areas?"

Charlie turned the parchment over. "Nothing obvious." he stated after reading the rest of the report. "But I don't have the map here. Do you have it?"

Bill stopped walking and pulled a muggle map out the back of his trouser pocket. With Charlie's help he unfolded it to the right area and started looking for any large empty spaces that would indicate an unpalatable charm of sorts.

"Doesn't seem to be to be anything obvious." Charlie said, standing at his brother's shoulder. "Every thing seems to be covered by the woodland we're in now."

Bill nodded, but frowned slightly. "Didn't you mention that the caretaker of the manor house went missing?" he asked.

Charlie glanced at the parchment he still held. "Yup." he said. "About three years ago. Why?"

"Because he seems to have taken the manor with him. There isn't one anywhere on this map." Bill said triumphantly, pointing at the small area of Little Hangleton on the map.

Both brothers immediately looked up, peering over the village and between the trees trying to spot a likely place for the manor's location.

"I imagine it would have had a fair bit of land." Charlie said. "So it's most probably set away from the rest of the village slightly."

"And I doubt it will be on the other side of the village." Bill added. "Not with all that building work going on."

"So we'll look up here first then." Charlie said, pointing through the trees to their right. "It's bound to be over looking the village."

"And not too far from the church." Bill said after a couple of minutes walking as they broke through a line of trees to find themselves walking across a grave yard. "There's probably a path somewhere that will lead to it."

They walked past several ornate headstones and skirted a blackened area that looked like someone had recently burned a fire there. Past the church building they found a path that led through some trees and into a field. The path looked like it had been recently used by a lot of people.

As soon as they noticed the path, both brothers advanced with an air of caution. They stepped into the wooded area and made their way to the edge of the trees.

"Well, it certainly looks like there should be something there." Charlie said, pointing to the path that lead part way into the field then faded to a point where it could no longer be seen.

Bill drew his wand and cast a silent charm, revealing some sort of ward about three foot before them.

"Think we should get the others or wait?" Charlie asked quietly.

Bill chewed on his lip slightly, a habit he had only recently picked up during his lessons with Harry.

"I think we should wait for a short time." he said. "It would be best to have proof of a Death Eater entering the area. If we don't see anything in fifteen minutes, we'll report back."

Charlie nodded and squatted down behind a bush, taking out the map and looking at it again. "It really is quite cleverly done." he said, pointing at the area of the map where the manor should have been. "It shows the trees cover the entire area, not just a random white space on the map like the other locations we've been to."

He felt his brother place a cautioning hand on his arm, and looked up to see two middle aged wizards in cloaks walk up the path and disappear into the field.

The brothers glanced at each other before nodding at the same time.

"Enough evidence, boys?"

Charlie and Bill jumped at the sudden voice, completely unaware that there had been someone creeping up behind them.

Bill stood, wand already in his hand and started to fire curses. Charlie, drawing his wand as he stood, was attacked by another unseen foe to his left, and was left dazed and floored after being hit firmly on the side of his head.

Bill managed to disarm the wizard who had spoken within a couple of seconds, but was unprepared for the strong arm that wrapped itself around his neck, pressing hard on his airway and causing him to choke.

"We meet again." Fenrir said, in a low, growling voice.

Bill felt his wand being snatch from his hand and watched as the wizard, who he didn't recognise, pick both wands up from the ground and aim them at the brothers.

"Pick him up." Fenrir said, pushing Bill violently to his brother's side. "You're both coming with us."

Bill struggled to help Charlie to his feet. His brother was only partially conscious, and though he was a good head shorter than his older sibling, he was a lot stockier then the eldest Weasley.

He somehow managed to hoist one of this brother's arms over his shoulders, and supporting Charlie's waist with his other arm, was marched at wand point along the path to the point where it disappeared.

Bill let the shadow of the werewolf inside him snarl as he felt a hand fall onto his shoulder at the edge of the ward, and was pushed forward through the magical barrier, his eyes widening to see the Manor building materialise in front of him.

They were forcefully pushed up the overgrown path to the neglected building, the two wizards that had been seen to pass through the barriers as a distraction joining the guard as they neared the front entrance.

Again, Bill felt a hand fall on his shoulder as he was directed into the dark building. He felt Charlie stumble a little over the door step and looked down in concern.

"You alright?" he asked quietly.

Charlie nodded. "One hell of a headache." he murmured in return.

Bill looked over his brother's head and saw a darkened patch of matted hair on one side where he had been struck.

"You're bleeding slightly." Bill stated. "Just stick with it, okay?"

Charlie nodded and took a deep breath, making the effort to straighten himself up more and carry his own weight as they neared some double doors at the end of a wide corridor.

Fenrir stepped in front of them, and pushed the door open.

"After you." he said mockingly.

Bill and Charlie entered the large dining hall, void of any furniture except that of the raised chair in which lounged the darkest wizard of the generation.

Bill was pushed to his knees and his brother fell to the floor beside him as they stared at the snake-like features of the wizard in front of them in horror. Few people had actually laid eyes on the much-feared wizard, but Bill knew that he wouldn't be able to shake the image of the reddened eyes and the pale shapeless face for a long time to come.

"And who do we have here?" The dark wizard said, his nasally voice cutting through the silence and barely sounding human. He took note of the scars that marred Bill's face. "A pair of Fenrir's playthings?"

Bellatrix Lestrange stepped forward, bowing her head and shoulders towards her master before speaking. "Two sons of Arthur Weasley, M'lord." she stated.

Fenrir snarled slightly in warning towards the female Death Eater, making it clear that the catch was his own. "We found them nosing around the outskirts of the village. There is no doubt that they were searching for the Manor." He said, and hesitated as his words failed to register a reaction on his master's face. "They are the eldest brothers of one of Potter's school friends." he added.

Immediately the expression on Voldemort's face changed into one that could only be described as a monstrous imitation of a smile.

"Then we all know what they needed to find the Manor, don't we!" He said, and some of the Death Eaters surrounding the two brothers laughed.

"Well, who am I to keep two fine looking boys from what they want?" He continued, and wandlessly summoned a large wooden chest to the front of his chair.

Bill and Charlie exchanged a wide-eyed glance when they heard a muffled sound from within the chest, followed closely by a furious hammering against it's walls.

They watched as Voldemort reached out to the box with one hand, his skeletal palm facing the ceiling. With exaggerated movements he bent his long fingers as if gesturing to whatever was inside the box to come out. Instantly, a large crash sounded from inside the box, echoing around the large hall before the shouting and hammering resumed.

Both Bill and Charlie, who had pulled himself to his knees and was now leaning against his brother for support, winced as the Death Eaters surrounding them began to laugh as Voldemort spoke, his voice laden with sadistic humour. "Best we open the lid before we try that again, don't you think?"

With a flick of his wrist he pulled out his wand and the top of the chest flew open, before he once more gestured with his long fingers for its captive to come out.

Instantly, the bloodied figure of Harry appeared over the rim of the chest, both hands struggling to gain a grip on anything to stop himself being dragged to the base of Voldemort's chair, his wounds on his injured feet splitting open and leaving a bloody trail as he fought to get away. His hair and shirt was sweat socked, sticking grotesquely to his body.

As soon as the pressure from the summoning charm was released, Harry rolled onto his back, one hand protecting his eyes from the bright light and the other pulling his shirt free from around his throat as he coughed and gasped in the fresh air.

"It's so good of you to join us, Harry." Voldemort said in a sickly sweet voice, leaning forward to look into the boy's face, before he curled up the small remainder of his nose and swishing his wand in Harry's direction, performing a quick cleansing spell as he leant back into his chair. "Merlin, Potter, you stink! Couldn't you have dressed nicely for our guests?"

"Fuck you, Riddle." Harry snarled, spit flying from his mouth as hot tears fell down his face from the effort it took him to stop choking on the clean air and breathe normally.

Voldemort's smile disappeared, and the corner of his lips turned up with a sneer of distaste as he looked down at Harry.

"I'd watch your language, boy." He said dangerously. "You wouldn't want to mar the "Golden-boy-of-Gryffindor" image your friends have of you now, would you?"

Harry stared at his captor in defiance before he heard Charlie call out his name from the middle of the hall. "Harry!"

Harry's head snapped around to see the Weasley's kneeling in a circle of Death Eaters, squinting in the light and pulling himself to his knees as he struggled to recognise which of his friends had been captured without his glasses.

"You see, Harry." Voldemort continued in a low voice from his position behind the boy. "I invited you out of your box so you could see what happened to those who foolishly attempt to rescue you."

Flashes of Molly Weasley's boggart passed through Harry's mind as he stared into the red-heads' dark eyes. He blinked and shook his head slightly, trying to rid himself of the cold and staring faces of the brothers after a long torture session, before spinning to Voldemort's chair. "You bastard! Let them go! It's me you wanted!"

Voldemort nodded, his imitation smile returning to his face. "Indeed, you know it. You only have to agree to my terms and your friends will go free." He sat back casually in his chair, crossing his legs and steeping his fingers in a way that reminded Harry briefly of Dumbledore. "Their lives lie in your hands, my boy." he added, as the soft mutterings of the death eaters in the hall fell silent.

"Whatever he wants you to do, don't do it, Harry." Bill cried out from where he was kneeling. "Stay strong…" his words were cut short as one of the younger death eaters stepped forward and back handed the man across his face.

Harry looked around the room, and met the dark gazes of at least twenty Death Eaters. He knew that the only chance Bill and Charlie would have of escape was if their captors were occupied elsewhere. He squinted, desperately searching for the one face that he knew would give him assistance, if somewhat limited, to help free his friends.

When he couldn't see the face of his old potions professor, he growled deep in his throat quickly formulating a rash plan before meeting the eyes of his friends.

"Run!" he shouted, before forcing himself to his injured feet and throwing himself over the arm of the chair behind him, landing on Voldemort's lap.


	54. Second Chance

Chapter 54

He reached out with his hand for the snake-like face and felt the wizard's skin split under his nails as he raked them across the dark wizard's cheek.

Voldemort let out a loud cry, as much with surprise as with pain as blood slowly began to drip down his cheek, flowing more like water than the viscous texture of blood.

Behind him, Harry felt a sudden rush from the circle of Death Eaters as they came to restrain the boy who lay sprawled across their master's lap.

Harry frantically twisted around, trying to ignore the pain in his forehead that originated from the close contact with the angry wizard below him and squinted against his blurred eyesight for his two friends and what had become of them.

In the confusion that followed, mitigated by Harry's loud screams as he caused as much of a distraction as possible, he watched as Bill and Charlie were able to push aside the two Death Eaters left guarding them and made a break for the door, using physical force against any that got in their way.

Harry fought valiantly until he noticed the door to the great hall shut behind the two brothers, their looks of concern burning into him as they had hesitated at the door, both unwilling to leave him yet realising there was nothing they could do to help him when they were so outnumbered.

It wasn't until the door was closed by Bill behind the escaping brothers that Harry felt strong arms grip him from behind and pull him from the Dark Lord's lap. He struggled, almost freezing in surprise when he managed to pull his uninjured arm free and inadvertently hit the Death Eater fully in the face with the sudden release of his elbow.

He came to his senses quickly, however, and was able to squirm free, gritting his teeth against the pain in his feet as he sprinted for the same door he had escaped through several days previously.

As he suspected, the Dark Lord's cry changed to direct the Death Eaters to his direction and he bit his bottom lip forcefully as the weeping lacerations and heat blisters on the bottoms of his feet sent sparks of pain up his legs and into the small of his back.

He literally flew down the corridor that led from the hall and into a set of doubles doors that led off to his right, using his weight to fruitlessly push against the doors until he realised through the haze of pain that the doors opened inwards.

He pulled desperately on the handle, and gave a small cry of achievement as it swung towards him. He spun as he barrelled through the opening and was just in time to see a number of spells headed his way before the door slammed shut, seemingly on it's own as he had let go of the door handle after he had pulled it open.

But Harry's mind was oblivious to the wandless magic he had just performed as he spun to the right, hoping that this new corridor would lead him to a hiding place of some sorts, maybe even to an entrance to the servants corridor he had hid in before, allowing him a couple of moments to recover until he was able to continue his search for the snake.

He used the grimy walls on either side to help him balance as he pushed himself towards a door at the end of the corridor. He dived through it and ran into a large room with no other exits. The furniture in the room had been covered with large dust sheets, as had the large portraits hanging on the wall. Large, dusty cobwebs hung from a small chandelier hanging from the centre of the room, and opposite the entrance door there was another fireplace with a small hearth.

Harry hesitated for a moment, taking in his surroundings with squinting eyes before running to the side of the room, trying to find an access to the servants corridor that would be concealed there.

It took him several long minutes before his long fingers felt a small gap between the paneling. He immediately started digging his nails into the area, pushing and pulling at the panels until, with a click, a section of the wall swung outwards.

He glanced about the room as he backed into the dark corridor and noticed with horror the dark stains on the floor, stains that had originated from the reopened wounds and weeping burns on his feet.

He grabbed at a dust sheet, revealing a wood-framed sofa, and started scrubbing at the marks, backing himself from the main entrance door to the servants corridor and managing to shut the door just as he heard people enter the room behind him.

"He must be here somewhere. The tracks led straight to this room."

Harry sunk down onto his haunches, gripping the bloodied dust sheet in his hands and praying they wouldn't find him. He glanced about the dark corridor, fighting back his fear of the darkness. Though the hallway was a lot less claustrophobic than the chest he had been held in, the darkness did nothing to help him forget the ordeal he had just lived through.

He forced himself to take deep, steadying breaths to calm himself, and weigh up his options. He could run down the corridor and try to get as much distance as he could between him and the two men in the room behind him, running scared without knowing how close the hunt was to his heels. Or he could stay where he was, catch his breath, and wait to see if his secret entrance would be discovered. If it wasn't, he would have the advantage of being able to use the servants corridors to hunt for Nagini for sometime without being discovered.

Harry decided to wait. His feet were throbbing painfully, and he figured a couple of moments rest to calm himself would be better than running scared.

After several moments, the room behind him fell silent. Harry pressed his ear against the paneling and could hear a low conversation happening a short distance from where he was sitting.

"Well, Lestrange said she found him up the chimney."

"You think he'd be stupid enough to try the same trick twice?"

"Doesn't hurt to look!"

"If you look up there, he'll stamp on your face!"

"So? Just blast it!"

"Okay. On the count of three. One. Two. Three!"

Harry jumped as he heard a loud crash, followed by a loud coughing.

"Well, if he was up there, there wouldn't be much left of him now!"

Harry froze as he recognised Snape's voice. He momentarily thought about trying to make himself known in some way. Maybe Snape could give him some idea of where to look for the snake. But then he realised that it would be dangerous for the both of them if he revealed his location.

"Potter's footprints led to this room. But once inside, there's no sign of him."

"So you felt the need to blast apart the wall?"

"He was hiding in the chimney last time he was found. We thought we'd better check."

"Maybe he climbed out the top?" Snape suggested with the sarcasm that Harry remembered so vividly from his potion lessons.

"So you think we ought to check outside?"

"It might be an idea." Snape said smoothly, though Harry could imagine him rolling his eyes, a look of disdain on his face. "Might be worth checking other rooms along this corridor as well, just in case he found a way to get into the next room."

Harry heaved a sigh of relief as the room behind him went silent. His eyes had now become accustomed to the dark and he was able to look both ways along the corridor, though everything was still out of focus without his glasses.

On his left he could see a dim light shining at the end of the corridor. With a great effort, he pulled himself to his feet and limped down to where light filtered through a small window set high in the wall. He fell to the floor again, coughing as the action caused as small cloud of dust to rise. He then started to strip the dust cloth he had taken, using the rags to bind his feet tightly, hoping that the pressure would be enough to help them heal, and not leave any more blood patches anywhere. The remainder of the cloth was used to wrap around his lower arm, which had also been burnt badly during his time in the chest. He vowed to clean the nasty-looking wound better when he found some water or supplies, but just keeping it covered would have to suffice for now.

Once his task was finished, he stood up, taking a deep breath and walking to the nearest room entrance. He pressed his head up against the door and waited a full minute before opened the door a crack and sticking his head through to look around. He had been given another chance to destroy the last horcrux, and this time he wasn't going to waste it!


	55. Nothing to do but wait

Chapter 55

The mood in the Head's office was once more a sober one as the members of the Order checked in for another meeting, each one revealing that they knew nothing knew about Harry's whereabouts.

It was a very tired looking headmistress that stood at the end of the large meeting table, her weight resting heavily on the table as if it were an effort to stay standing.

McGonagall looked around at the near-silent room and sighed heavily.

"I fear there is nothing more we can do until we receive word from Severus." she said, frowning as she looked around the room. "No matter how much we may dislike what he has done in the past, if Harry trusted him enough to do this, then we'll just have to wait in hope that he will be true to his word." She frowned slightly as she looked around the table. "Who's missing?" she asked, concern in her voice.

The room immediately moved as one, everyone mentally checking the faces they knew. It wasn't until there was a cry from the back corner of the room that someone noticed who was missing.

"Bill! Charlie!"

Alarmed conversations broke out after Molly's cry, and Hermione gripped Ron's hand tightly as he, in turn, put a supportive arm around his little sister.

"QUIET!"

Kingsley stood up next to McGonagall as the room fell silent. "Does anyone know where they were going today?" he asked once he had everyone's attention.

A few members shook their heads, but Fred looked to his brother before speaking up. "Bill said something about looking into some kids that went missing." he said.

"He thought it might have something to do with Death Eaters." George added. "The DA pulled the story out of recent muggle newspaper and they felt it worth checking out."

"There was a group of three or four teenagers that completely disappeared without a trace." Fred explained further. "Bill thought they might have stumbled onto Big V's hide out and were killed, so he was going to check out the local area…

"… And took Charlie along for moral support."

"Do you know where?" McGonagall asked.

The twins shook their heads. "But the DA should still have the clippings." Fred pointed out, "The location would be on one of the lists they gave us."

"I'll have a look." Remus said, gently placing a hand on Fleur's shoulder in silent support before making his way to the door.

"I'll come help." Tonks said, standing up to join him.

At that moment, a loud crash from the door made everyone jump. Remus reached out, wand in hand, and gently pulled the door open revealing Bill and Charlie standing there, the eldest brother supporting his sibling who had a thick line of dried blood down once side of his face.

"Bill! Charlie! Oh, thank Merlin you are both okay!"

Bill readily accepted the hug from his mother as others jumped forward to help him with Charlie's weight, and turned to the rest of the table as Charlie was lowered into a chair.

"What happened?" their father asked as he embraced his eldest son.

"We found Harry." Bill replied.

"Where is he? Is he okay?" Ron, Hermione and Ginny asked eagerly, pushing towards the front of the group, their hopeful faces dropping as they saw the look on Bill's face.

Bill shook his head and glanced down at Charlie who was groaning with pain as Molly started tending to the wound on his head.

"We weren't able to get close to him." the eldest Weasley sibling informed the cramped room. "He's in Little Hangleton. We were investigating some suspicious disappearances in the area when we stumbled across a large area surrounded by wards. We were discovered as we were about to send word to you all where we were."

"You were captured?" Remus asked. "How did you escape?"

"Harry!" Charlie said weakly.

Bill nodded. "We were taken to a large hall there and made to kneel before Him." he shuddered slightly at the memory and put an arm around his wife's waist as she stood by him for moral support. "The sight of him alone is enough to make most people mad." his gaze rested on Ron, Hermione and Ginny, assessing their strength before continuing. "He had been keeping Harry in a small chest. He is alive!" he added as the room responded in shock. "Looked well beaten up and tired, but he was still conscious. It was like he was keeping Harry locked away like some sort of treasure. When he pulled him out he kept on about sparing Charlie and I if Harry were to agree to his terms."

"What terms?" Remus asked.

"Don't know." Bill admitted. "He didn't specify any. We shouted at him to not agree to anything. Next we know, Harry had told us to "run" then propelled himself back onto Voldemort's lap, scratching him across the face as a distraction."

"And it worked?" Moody asked.

Bill nodded. "The place was in chaos, we were able to get out of the hall and found Snape waiting for us outside. He gave us back our wands and directions to the quickest escape route." he sighed slightly. "I guess Harry was right about trusting him."

"And what about Harry?" Ginny asked tentatively.

Bill shrugged. "Last we saw the Death Eaters were all fighting each other to be the one to get him off Voldemort's lap." he smiled slightly at the memory. "That kid can sure cause problems when he wants to!"

"Do you think we can get back and save him?" McGonagall asked.

Bill shook his head. "We could take you back to Little Hangleton." he said. "But the house itself was under a fidelious so we wouldn't be able to see it, and I have a feeling that the wards are keyed into the Dark Mark so we wouldn't be able to get in anyway. Our captors had to put their hands on our shoulders as we passed through the wards, and again as we entered the building. Lucky for us the wards were only guarded one way."

"So what do we do?" Ron asked. "Go down there and wait?"

"It would be safer to wait here." Kingsley said, then turned back to Bill. "Did Snape mention anything about a rescue?"

Bill shook his head. "Only that he would help Harry as much as he could. I don't think he's had the chance to look for the snake yet."

"I don't think we'll worry about that anymore." Remus said. "I vote we class it as a failed mission and just concentrate our efforts on getting Harry out alive. We'll think about some other way to get the snake once he's home and safe."

"Which means what exactly?" Ron asked.

The Order members looked at each other helplessly before Moody broke the silence. "We wait for Snape." he said.

"Oh joy!" Ron muttered.


	56. Nagini

Chapter 56

Harry sat against the corner where two long corridors joined. The lighting in both corridors was dim, but it allowed him plenty of time to spot anyone coming and be able to escape in the other direction.

It had been nearly a whole day since Bill and Charlie had managed to escape, and since then Harry had been methodically trying every room he had come across trying to find Nagini.

The last room he had been in had been an empty kitchen, and he had stolen the opportunity to grab the remains of a loaf of bread and a small block of cheese that had been lying on the kitchen table. The food had been dry and hard to eat without any water near, but Harry didn't let that stop him for filling his stomach for the first time in three days.

As he ate he rebound the make-shift bandages around his feet and calculated how many rooms he had left to look in. He figured that he had managed to look in the majority, if not all of the lower floor rooms of the building and that he had most of the upper floor rooms to go. But there were fewer servant corridors on the upper floors and he ran the higher risk of being discovered whilst traversing the long corridors.

And it wasn't as if the Death Eaters had stopped looking for him. On several occasions he had heard their confusion when their locate spells had led them into an empty room or towards seemingly solid panelled walls. He had made the effort to stay still during these times, knowing that their tracking spells would follow him should he run down a corridor, making them suspect that he had found a hiding space. The longer he could keep the servants corridors secret, the more chance he had.

In all honesty, it surprised Harry that he hadn't been discovered long before now. He could hear the ongoing search, and had seen Death Eaters patrolling the perimeter of the house. There were also several guards on each door that led outside and, more recently, one standing in each of the main corridors.

On one occasion he had neared the dining hall and could hear Voldemort taking out his frustrations on his followers. From an overheard conversation shortly after Harry had found out that one wizard had been killed during a particularly gruesome torture session that afternoon, and didn't fail to hear the men discussing what would happen to Harry once he had been found.

He pushed himself to his feet, placing a hand against the wall in order to catch his balance as a wave of dizziness hit him. His headache still hadn't disappeared and had only been aggravated by his constant squinting, tiredness and the shooting pains that an angry Voldemort kept sending through his scar. He hadn't slept since escaping the chest, but refused to let down his guard until his set task had been done.

He limped down the left hand corridor, brushing crumbs from his lap as he headed for the one staircase within the servants corridors that led upstairs. He cautiously walked up the stairs, aware that the old wood was groaning with his added weight, and he didn't want to fall through them like he had at the orphanage during the Horcrux hunt.

At the top he froze again, listening carefully before following the dark corridor. He came across one room on his right and followed his usual routine of placing his ear up close against the wood and trying to detect anyone inside before gently unlocking and pushing open the disguised door, ducking his head cautiously through the small gap, prepared to run away at any indication that the room was occupied. He kept a firm grip on the handle, knowing that pulling the door closed behind him would give him a couple of moments head start until they realised there was no handle their side and blasted the wall apart in order to get to him.

On this occasion there seemed to be no one in the room and he ducked his head in, squinting without his glasses in order to take in the room. It was clear that the room was being used as someone's bedroom. A pair of boots had been discarded haphazardly at the bottom of the bed, and a dark cloak had been thrown across a chair within his field of vision.

Once ensuring the room was empty and lacking a certain snake, Harry gently closed the door and made his way to the next room. He held his breath as he listened, but after hearing nothing he gently pushed open the door, only to freeze when he realised that something was moving on the large wooden bed pushed against the same wall as his.

He stared in shock as the blankets continued to move, then jumped when a sudden giggle broke the silence.

The blankets fell back as a body raised itself up, and Harry saw the naked shoulders of a younger Death Eater man, quickly followed by the long auburn hair of a girl he vaguely remembered as being in one of the upper years of Hogwarts when he had first started school.

Without being fully aware of what he was doing, Harry stared with subconscious fascination as the couple kissed barely a couple meters away from where he stood.

It wasn't until their actions began to lead to other things that Harry was suddenly able to snap himself out of shock, shaking his head and feeling his face turn red as he returned to the darkness of his corridor and closing the door as quietly as he could behind him.

He moved down the corridor a little way before leaning up against the paneling and letting out a slightly hysterical laugh, clapping his hand across his mouth at the sudden noise.

As his embarrassment passed he began to laugh silently to himself, making his way to the next door and attempting to calm himself before placing his ear up against the wood.

Once more he gently pushed open the door and he edged around it, his eyes widening with shock when he realised he had hit the jackpot.

The room was obviously the master bedroom, with a large four-poster bed and elaborate wall hangings. Harry noted that there was a distinct lack of portraits hanging around the room, but the darker wood made it clear where they had been.

Harry quickly took in the open chest filled with clothes against one wall, and the large bookshelf filled with heavy leather tomes before focusing his attention on his prize.

In a highbacked chair next to an unlit fire, Harry had seen the coils of a unnaturally large snake. He couldn't see the head from where he was, and could only assume that the snake was sleeping at the moment.

He looked about the room again, this time looking for anything that he could use to kill the serpent. His eyes fell on a desk near the window, on which there was a small silver letter opener.

He squinted, comparing the size of the snake to the size of the knife. The snake itself was thick across the middle and it would take more than one slice to kill it if he used the letter opener. But, when he looked for any alternative, it seem to be the only option.

He gently eased himself into the room, padding quietly across the room to the desk, keeping one eye on the snake in case it woke up and spotted him.

He cringed as he passed the foot of the large bed, trying hard to not imagine Voldemort succumbing to normal human pursuits like sleep or, merlin forbid, that act he had just overseen in the other room.

He gently placed his fingers around the knife, lifting the blade and feeling grateful that the blade was sharp, if on the small side.

He turned around again, turning his attention to the chair only to find it empty.

He looked about in a panic, trying to find where the snake had gone to.

"Tresssspassser!"

Harry spun to find that the snake had raised itself up to stand above him, using it's thick coils to support it's weight as its head weaved back and forth.

Harry didn't hesitate, but lunged forward, slashing horizontally across the long neck of the snake.

But the blade was too small, and as Nagini lunged forward to him, he hit the thick body of the snake with his wrist, wincing as her sharp fangs ripped through his already tattered shirt as he twisted to the left.

He slashed again, this time downwards as the snake's lunge caused her to fall heavily to the wooden floor.

He felt the knife slice through her skin, and she hissed in pain before using one of her weighty coils to knock him to the ground.

In an instant, the snake had placed all her weight on top of Harry who, despite his added height and weight from the summer and his training, struggled to free himself.

He wiggled desperately, ignoring the fact that they were making so much noise as he tried to get his right hand free. He felt her coils trying to push under him, in order to surround him in a constricting embrace. At the same time, she raised herself above him, fangs flashing as she lunged again.

Harry bit back a shout as her fangs sank deep into his left shoulder, but as he jerked in pain he caused one of her coils to slip and he was able to pull his right hand free, sinking the small knife deep into the back of her neck.

Once again, Nagini hissed in pain and she pulled back, her coils writhing away from him as she dived forward again.

Harry twisted away and slammed the knife down again, this time catching the snake at the base of her head.

It took a couple of moments for Harry to realise that this wound had fatally hurt the snake. Nagini's body continued to writhe above Harry, but it became apparent after a short time that she was no longer attacking.

He pushed the heavy snake off him, pulling the blade from her head and deliberately pushing into the top of her head and slicing across, ensuring her death.

He sat back, breathing deeply as he watched the snake continue to jerk around. He half expected some sort of sign that the final horcrux had been destroyed, something that would trigger a sense of relief or celebration in him, but the moment was surprisingly unemotional.

Once he had caught his breath, Harry examined his shoulder. Two dark red marks that were pooling with blood indicated where she had bit him, and with a sense of dread Harry remembered the difficulty Arthur Weasley had had when he had tried to heal the wounds caused by this snake.

He pulled himself to his feet and wondered what to do next. He went to the window and cautiously looked out. There were still many Death Eaters patrolling around the house and no doubt the door guards would still be there.

He heard a noise from behind him and looked down to see that the snake's erratic movements had began to still. With a sudden decision he made his way to the main door, looking both ways before sprinting towards the main staircase. The only thing left to do now was to make his bid for freedom.


	57. The Final Horcrux

_Several shorter chapters I'm afraid, but I hope you've enjoyed the mass updates. I've been working hard this week to get as much written up as possible and the end is nearly in sight!! Woop woop! A big THANKS to the few of you who have spent the time to review, I do appreciate hearing from you if you are enjoying the story. But would be nice to hear from more of you, hint hint!!! Kit. xxx_

Chapter 57

Harry fled lightly down the stairs, hiding behind the thick banisters to make sure his way was clear before darting down the main corridor on the ground floor. He planned to find the nearest ground floor room that had window access to the outside. If he could get out the building and find some cover in the overgrown garden, he stood a chance of making it to the barrier.

But his plans failed as he was forcefully frozen into place. The temptation of freedom had been too much and he had let his cautiousness disappear. He mentally cursed himself that he hadn't thought to look before darting across the last corridor and his eyes opened minutely wider as the dark wizard who had cursed him came into his field of vision.

The brave boy's heart thundered in his chest as he recognised the billowing robes, the shoulder length, potion-conditioned hair and the narrow eyes of his former potions master. The reality of the situation hit him, and he became fearful that he had been wrong to believe Dumbledore's last judgment and Snape's empty words of trust; there was no way that this wizard was going to help him escape from this prison.

But his mental self-punishments soon came to a swift stop as he saw Snape's eyes dart briefly to his right. Moments later Harry was able to see Bellatrix Lestrange and Peter Pettigrew walking into the corridor from the same direction as Snape had come. No doubt the Order's spy would've been seen if he had tried to help Harry, or even simply let him run by without attempting to catch him.

"Well done, Severus." Bellatrix crooned as she walked up to where Harry stood frozen in position. She gently pushed against his uninjured shoulder and laughed as he fell backward onto the floor. Once he had recovered from the disconcerting sense of vertigo, Harry could hear the arrival of other Death Eaters in the corridor.

"I must admit, I've had my previous doubts," Bellatrix continued, squatting down to examine their catch. "but I guess the chance to torture your least favourite pupil engulfed that magnet inside you that forever draws you to your dear light side like a moth to a flame."

"Must you keep persisting with such tiresome accusations?" Snape asked, just as Harry felt heavy hands lay hold of his arms and shoulders. "I think I have proved myself more than most here, and I don't feel the need to impress you or any of your fellow disbelievers any more."

Bellatrix snorted slightly and stepped up close to Snape, pushing a bony finger into his chest as she looked up into his face. "Don't forget I'm watching you, waiting for you to slip up."

"No doubt you are." Snape said coolly. "However, I have better things to do with my time other than stand around to be watched by you. Like returning this impertinent child back to his box. He has been running free for far too long."

"There's been a change of plan." Another voice from behind Harry said. "The Dark Lord feels Potter here has overstepped his boundary and is to return to the hall."

"What has he done this time?" Snape asked, his eyes straining themselves with the desire to direct the question at the boy in front of him.

"Killed the snake is all." another voice said, and a startled hush fell over the gathered crowd.

"'Bout time." a voice muttered after several long seconds.

"Silence!" Bellatrix cried, spinning around and advancing on the offending Death Eater. "You would wish for death should our Lord hear you say that in his presence. Take the boy back to him. Do not leave him waiting!".

The spell Snape had cast on Harry began to wear off as the procession neared the hall again, and Harry struggled against his captors as they gripped his arms strongly and his feet once more began to leave large bloody smears on the wooden floor.

"Bring him to me." Voldemort's voice caused Harry's struggling to increase three-fold though his bids for escape were quickly followed by a blunt object being struck across the top of his head, causing his sight to blur and his struggling to cease momentarily.

"Hold him down." Voldemort's second order was obeyed by four men, two putting pressure on Harry's shoulders and the other two swiping his legs out from under him so that he had no choice but to fall backwards to the floor, his body pinned to the cold stone by the weight of the four Death Eaters above him.

"The Knife!"

Those two words sent shivers down Harry's spine and he watched as Voldemort took the blade and pushed past his followers to fall to his knees on the floor by Harry's head.

"You forgot your place again, boy."

"Oh no." Harry spat back. "I was supposed to be here."

"The prophecy!" Voldemort's eyes lit with greed. "Tell me…"

"It's thee or me, Tom" Harry said and the silence of the hall was thick with anticipation, though there were at least thirty followers crowded around the two enemies in it's center. "Or both."

Voldemort's blood red eyes searched Harry's green orbs for what seemed like an eternity, weighing up the level of honesty of his words before speaking.

"Do you have any idea of what lengths I have gone through to cheat death? No wizard born before me has achieved half of what I have."

"Seven's the magic number, isn't it." Harry whispered intensely, staring directly into Voldemort's eyes and smiling as he watched doubt creep into their deadly expression. "The diary, your grandfather's ring, Hufflepuff's cup, Slytherin's necklace, Ravenclaw's diadem, Nagini… the last piece is still inside you Tom, and even if you kill me you're now as mortal as the rest of us."

Voldemort's snake-like features were so disfigured, Harry was unsure whether his words had made an impact. But Voldemort's red eyes bore a conflict of emotions; disbelief, anger, thoughtfulness and then humour before a sick determination piled into their depths.

"Maybe not" he said. "Don't count your eggs before they've hatched, Harry, for one of them may still hold a Basilisk."

Harry's heart froze, and though his back was pressed to the very solid stone floor, the room spun as if he was falling.

"What do you mean?"

"You have done well, under Dumbledore's direction no doubt, to discover and destroy my treasures. But either you were told a falsity by your beloved headmaster, or your deductions were wrong." Voldemort lent forward until his face was inches away from Harry's ear. "Nagini, though I felt fondly for her, did not carry a piece of my soul."

Harry struggled to breathe, he had played his hand in the hope to put the fear of death into Voldemort. He had assumed the dark wizard would have grown angry, threatening Harry and, knowing his thirst for appearing powerful, taking him back to his friends for a public execution. In that instance Harry hoped his friends would be able to take him down, but if what Voldemort was saying was true then there was still a horcrux out there that no one knew about.

"Let me tell you a short story, Harry." Voldemort said, pushing one of the wizard's holding Harry down away and taking his place at Harry's shoulder, one bony hand effortlessly holding the young man's chest to the floor. "This is a story of a Halloween night several years ago. I'd heard part of a prophecy, and when it came to choosing between the Longbottom boy and yourself I admit it wasn't a hard choice to make. I saw something of myself in you, and came to your house that night fully prepared to create my final horcrux with your death, knowing it would be my final and strongest tie to eternal life.

"You weren't far wrong with your assumption that Nagini was going to be that horcrux. I had come so far in becoming immortal, I admit I wanted to push the boundaries even further and create a living horcrux.

"And that night I did.

"You see, Harry, a horcrux is created at the moment you cast Avada Kedavra, your soul splitting whether you want it to or not. You just need to tie it to an object before it disappears forever. Nagini was there that night when I went to kill you and your parents. The horcrux was formed before the curse rebounded, but when I discovered Nagini didn't possess it, it left one other place it could've gone."

Harry felt his heart stop, and a sharp pain in his head indicated that he probably knew where this was going.

"Me."

Voldemort nodded, a smile on his thin lips as Harry choked out the one word. "Which means your life belongs to me more than ever." He dived in until his face was once more inches from Harry's own, the knife pressed firmly to Harry's throat. "I'm sure you understand my need to keep you close and mark you as my own."

He used his free hand to press Harry's forehead to the floor, and with several quick flicks of his wrist, created three gaping wounds across Harry's face.

The pain was immense, but as Harry screamed he was more aware of the hot blood pouring down the side of his face than of the cuts themselves.

Over the sudden noise that filled the hall he heard Voldemort shout for Snape. "How long to brew the Draught of Living Death?"

"A week, m'Lord."

"Then get on it. No one is to leave this building until Potter is dreaming of the life he'll never have."

Harry, now free from his restrainers, lay shaking on the floor, curled up against the pain that numbed the right side of his face. He felt Voldemort come closer and cracked open his one good eye to see the maniacal glint from his foe inches from his own.

"You will stay here for the rest of your life, Potter. Rest assured you shall never again see the light of day. You will sleep for an eternity and will dream only of death. You see, Harry, as my final horcrux you will have the best protection I can provide, as _my_ life depends on it."

Harry felt hot tears stream down his face and shut his eyes tightly against the deep pain in his heart that overwhelmed the physical pain from his wounds, knowing that he was helpless. He had failed to protect his friends, instead by allowing himself to be captured by Voldemort he had handed the dark wizard his last chance of remaining immortal on a platter.


	58. Turncoat

_One really short one (sorry, really didn't realise how short this chapter was until I posted it), but to make up for it I've added another chapter of a more reasonable length. _

_Thanks again to those who take the time to review... it's great to know you're enjoying it!!! To all others... would one little review hurt?? Kit xxx  
_

Chapter 58

Severus Snape walked into the manor's kitchen, a large dark-leather potions bag hanging from one hand. The single wizard looked up from his meal of noodles and nodded to the potions master.

"About time." he muttered, standing up and flicking his wand at a large kitchen dresser and levitating it out the way, revealing a small door in the wall behind it.

"Anyone down there?" Snape asked.

The wizard shook his head. "Fenrir left about an hour ago. Left the kid in such a mess that the Dark Lord ordered no one else was to go down until you had been to see him." the wizard grinned as he took his place back at the large wooden table. "Some of us just aren't getting the idea that he is to be kept alive."

"Alive, but not necessarily sane." Snape pointed out. "It amazes me how unimaginative some of us are with torture."

The Death Eater laughed. "Oh, then I think you might be in for a surprise today. Fenrir has been giving a master class on hand-to-hand combat. Potter looks like a cat's scratching post!"

Snape gave what he hoped was a positive and interested look in response to the remarks, though inside he was grimacing. He had been called upon five times during the past forty-eight hours to administer first aid to the captive, and each time had been worse than the time before.

The Dark Lord had given Harry to his followers to "play" with until the Draught was ready. His conditions were that only one wizard was allowed to torture Harry at a time and that the boy was to remain alive. To Snape he had given the further conditions to treat Harry as and when necessary, but to leave the wound on his face to fester and scar as a sign of ownership.

Snape had been relieved at his orders. It meant he was able to help Harry as much as he could without raising any further suspicions. It also made him exempt from having to perform any torture himself as all his time was being spent in his brewing room tending to the Draught of Living Death or treating Harry's injuries. If anyone queried it, Snape would just say his form of torture was the length of time he would leave Harry suffering between torture sessions.

But he was concerned about Harry's deteriorating condition. Even though he had helped the boy as much as he could, whispering words of reassurance and encouragement in the few brief times he knew he would not be overheard, Harry's body and mind couldn't take much more. Each time he saw the boy, the response he had gotten for his administrations had become less, and on the last occasion Harry had been delirious from an extended cruciatus session and muttering about giving in being the only way.

Snape had done something he had never thought he would do then, and took Harry's hand, promising the injured boy that he would do anything to ensure that it Harry wouldn't have to give his life in order to destroy Voldemort. The boy had taken strength from his words, smiling briefly with his one good eye before succumbing to the pain relief potion he had been given and letting his head roll to the floor.

Snape just regretted that the opportunity hadn't arisen for him to get word to the Order yet. He knew they would be waiting on him to make some sort of contact but, even though he had been given the added responsibility of brewing the Draught of Living Death and also to apply medical aid to Potter, it seemed he wasn't yet above suspicion and on a number of occasions found himself being watched closely by one Death Eater or another.

The inconvenience of such scrutiny meant that he had no chance of getting Harry out of the Manor himself and apparating them both to safety, as had been his original plan. Harry was being guarded around the clock, and was constantly being visited by torturers.

Snape had also been unable to send a missive to the Order to inform them of the situation. If he was able to leave a Portkey at a location for them, they would be able to get in and save Potter themselves. That course of action would allow him to make his own hasty retreat, hiding himself away and setting up a new life for himself in some distant country. But without being able to inform them of his plan, there was no point in increasing the risk of discovery by creating a Portkey and leaving it around for someone to find.

As he opened the door to the old storage cellar that was currently being used to cage Harry, Snape hesitated, seeing a light on in the room below.

He frowned, remembering that the wizard sitting in the kitchen had told him no one would be down here. He pushed the door open a little further and looked down into the dimly lit prison.

He could see Harry lying in a dark heap in a corner at the far side of the small cellar room. A short distance away from him stood the one wizard that Snape didn't think would dare come down to the room to see the captive.

He watched as Wormtail stood unmoving, silently watching the boy lie on the cold stone floor, Harry's rasping breath the only sound in the underground room.

As if he had come to a sudden decision, the ex-marauder stepped forward, dropping to one knee and placing a hand on Harry's shoulder, shaking it slightly to get the semi-conscious boy's attention, at the same time mindful of the boy's newest injuries.

"Moony?" Harry muttered weakly, slurring his whispered words and raising his head slightly to squint into the light in attempt to identify the man next to him.

Snape heard Pettigrew suck in a deep breath before whispering, "No, it's Peter…" he hesitated slightly. "It's Wormtail." he corrected.

Harry frowned, trying to focus on the man's dark silhouette in front of him. "Traitor." he whispered, though his words lacked any conviction as his breath failed him and he started to cough wetly.

"I know." Pettigrew said, mostly to himself. "Which is why I owe it to you to help you escape. I'm going to send for your friends." he took hold of Harry's head as it fell back onto the unforgiving floor. "Listen to me, kid. I owe you a wizard's debt. And your dad. Merlin knows what _He'll_ do to me once he finds out but maybe it'll be enough to repay my wrongs."

He took a deep steadying breath and tightened his grip on Harry's chin. "You have to stick with it until your friends arrive. You have to stay alive until then, do you understand me?" He jerked Harry's head slightly as Wormtail tried to emphasise his point and his voice turned from being authoritative to pleading. "no matter what happens you have to stay alive."

Snape watched as Harry's cloudy green eyes began to loose focus once more. "Remus?" the boy gasped again, before letting his head fall forward.

Pettigrew grunted and let go of Harry's shoulder, absently wiping some blood from his hand onto his robes as he stood up. "Merlin help you kid." he said. "Cause I've done all I can."

Snape took a step back into the corridor and hid himself in the shadows as Pettigrew left the room and made his way back to the kitchen. He glanced thoughtfully to the room where Harry was being kept, mindful of the small pool of blood he had seen underneath the broken body and the unnatural position of the boy's shoulder before following the turncoat out of the corridor.

If Pettigrew had made a promise to get word to the Order, then Snape was going to ensure that he carried out that promise. It may be Harry's only way to get out of the manor alive.


	59. Rescue

Chapter 59

Ginny sat with her arms folded over her legs, watching others enjoying the watery sunshine so early in the year. But she failed to let their frivolity raise her spirits, choosing to let their loud chatter wash over her as she stared into the distance, her mind revolving around one thought; _Harry_.

She sighed as she felt movement next to her, and looked to see her youngest brother stretching his long legs out before him. On his other side sat his girlfriend, her hand entwined with his as they sat, waiting for something that seemed like it would never arrive.

"It's been too long." Hermione said in a small whisper, voicing the thought that had been running through the trio's mind. "It has been nearly three days since Bill and Charlie escaped. Surely Snape must've had some chance to let us know he's okay by now?"

"But what if he isn't okay?" Ron said sombrely. "What if he's…." his voice broke off and he took a small breath before saying "Maybe Snape is too cowardly to let us know?"

"He's not dead." Ginny said, lifting herself so that she was sitting upright.

Ron snorted slightly. "You sound so sure." he said. "But you have no proof."

Ginny shrugged. "But I know Harry." she said. "And so do you two. Better than anyone else I'd wager. He's a fighter. I refuse to believe that anything bad has happened to him."

Hermione and Ron glanced at each other before looking back out over the school grounds.

"I'm sorry." Hermione said after another long silence. "I'm just sick of all this waiting around. I know Bill and Moody are working on getting through the wards, but I just wish that there was something else we could do."

A shout from behind them made them look up to the main entrance to the school, seeing Neville running as fast as he could towards them.

"Ron! Ginny! McGonagall wants you!"

He stopped, leaning forward over his knees to catch his breath as the trio leant forward to hear his news.

"A owl arrived at the end of lunch." he said excitedly. "McGonagall seemed to recognise the writing and told me to come get you. I think it might have something to do with Harry!"

Ron, Ginny and Hermione didn't even pause to say thank you before they were sprinting up the front steps to the school and up the multiple staircases to the headmistress's office.

The revolving staircase was already open to use, and the three entered to find the Order already congregated and talking more animatedly than they had for a long time.

"Is it Snape?" Hermione asked quickly, as they came into the room.

"No." Remus replied, a confused but relieved look upon his face. "The letter was from Peter."

"Peter?" Ginny asked, her hopes ebbing as quickly as they had swelled.

"Pettigrew." McGonagall explained, calling order to the room. "It seems as if he had a turn of conscience and is repaying a wizard's debt he owes Harry."

"When did that happen?" Tonks asked. "Does he feel he owes it for betraying his parents?"

"No." Remus said. "The night we found out about Sirius' innocence, Harry stopped him and myself from making a very big mistake." he looked thoughtful for a brief moment before adding, "Though, considering the circumstances, I think we both wish that we had gone ahead with it."

"Harry would never of wanted you to." Hermione reminded him. "He said so at the time, and I doubt anything would've changed his mind."

"So what did he say?" Ron asked, leaning eagerly on the back of his mother's chair.

"He sent us a Portkey to get us inside the manor building." Kingsley said, indicating to a small brass figurine sitting in the middle of the meeting table. "It will get us past both sets of wards and into a disused room at the rear of the property."

"So we're going ahead with a rescue?" Ginny asked eagerly, causing her mother to turn and give her a warning look.

"Some of us will." Kingsley said with a nod. "He didn't indicate how many people actually stay in the building, so I don't want to organise a blind attack incase we are overpowered. I just want to get in, get Potter, and get back out again. Hopefully the kid will be able to give us the further information we need to become more proactive once he's safe."

"What's the risk?" Bill enquired, sitting next to his wife with her hand held in his.

"That this is a set up, to get those of us who are closest to Potter into his capture." Moody answered. "If he was threatening your and Charlie's life to get the boy to do what he wants, this may be a trick to get more bargaining chips to blackmail him with."

"So we go in with Safety Pins." Fred said, indicating the small silver Portkeys that everyone was wearing on their robes. "We'll charm them to pull you out after a specific time. That way, even if they capture you, you will still have an escape route."

Kinglsey nodded. "How many go?" he asked.

"Four pairs." Moody answered quickly. "We can split up and examine every corner of the building that way. If one pair gets in trouble, just concentrate on getting home. Any more people and we risk being discovered quicker. Providing, of course, that the Portkey isn't a trap in the first place."

"I'm going." Remus said instantly, followed immediately by Bill and Tonks.

"That's three." Kingsley said, "I'll go aswell."

"I'm not being left out." Moody said, what seemed to be a grin of anticipation twisting his scarred face into a horrifying mask.

"We want to go as well." Ron said clearly, gripping Hermione's hand firmly in his own. "We've pulled Harry out of so many escapes, he'd expect us to be there!" he added.

"No!" Molly said immediately. "I will not let you go. You will wait here with the rest of us until they return."

The room fell silent at the staring match between Molly and her youngest son.

"We've been through everything with him." Hermione said, trying to argue their case logically and calm down the thick atmosphere between mother and son. "We've hunted down all the horcruxes, and managed to destroy them. Not to mention come up against the Death Eaters before. We've spent the whole year training with Harry and we can look after ourselves. We aren't going to play hero and take foolish risks, but we both want to be there."

"We are of age." Ron pointed out angrily. "You can't really tell us what we can and cannot do."

"But that will make too many in the group." Molly said, spinning to direct her glare to Kingsley and Moody.

"They will make seven." Moody contradicted her and the room fell silent again.

"Let them go." Arthur said, placing a hand on his wife's arm. "I trust them to make the right decisions and come back safe." he looked at Kingsley and Moody, who were the veterans when it came to planning and fighting. "But I would like to be there as well, if I may?"

Moody nodded. "There's our eight then." he said. "Go get yourself ready, we'll meet back here in thirty minutes. Comfortable clothing that is easy to move in, sturdy footwear. Fred, George, set the timers on the Portkeys. I want them to transport us straight into the hospital wing in case there are any accidents. Molly, I suggest you and Ginny wait with Poppy there, she may need your help should anything go wrong."

He looked at McGonagall who nodded. "I'll take them." she said, standing up and herding the Weasley females to the door, pausing to let Ginny hug her brother and friend.

"Be careful." she whispered into their ears.

Ron smiled at her. "We'll bring him back." he promised with a nod and Ginny gave him a small smile back.

Less than an hour later, he and Hermione were tiptoeing their way through dark corridors, looking tentatively in room after room for their lost friend.

"What possessed us to volunteer for this?" Ron whispered after they had flattened themselves against a wall as two Death Eaters walked by, laughing between themselves and re-enacting what looked like a battle move.

"Because we're annoyed at Harry for running off without us… again!" she whispered back. "Knowing full well what sort of trouble he usually gets himself into when we're not there to look after him!"

Ron snorted at her words. "I'm really worried, too." he said. "but I'll let you take the first punch if you like."

Hermione nodded. "Thanks for that." she said, placing her hand on a door handle and gently opening the door, peeking around the corner before opening the door fully and letting herself into the room.

She felt Ron follow her into the room, and they looked around the numerous tables in the centre of the room, laden with glass jars and heavy lead bowls.

"It looks like a potion's room." Ron muttered, bending down to examine a dark liquid bubbling away inside a large bowl without an obvious heat source. "But not like one I've ever seen before."

Hermione nodded, leafing through a couple of sheets of parchment before a movement near the window made her jump

She raised her wand defensively, sensing Ron doing the same on her left, but he obviously hadn't seen the movement in the shadows that she had as he asked her a quietly what she had seen.

"Hold, it's me." Snape said, raising his hands to show he was unarmed as he emerged from the shadows.

Ron raised his wand higher, "Even more of a reason to stay armed, if you ask me." he said.

Snape rolled his eyes and addressed Hermione next. "You come alone?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Remus, Tonks and a couple of others are searching elsewhere." she said, the tip of her wand lowering to the floor. "Did you organise for the Portkey to be sent?"

Snape shook his head. "I was unable to. But lucky for us it seems a certain rat had a flood of conscience when he saw the state of Potter after his last escape attempt. Figured he owed the boy a life debt."

Hermione nodded. "Harry stopped Sirius and Remus from killing him that time in the Shrieking Shack moments before you turned up." Hermione briefly explained. "Where is he? Is he okay?"

Snape sniffed slightly. "I would say he's still in one piece…" he started.

After a couple of long drawn seconds, Ron broke the silence. "But..?"

Snape glanced around the room, quickly moving between the desks and pouring some of the mixtures into vials. "I think that it's important to get him out of here as soon as we can." he said.

"We?" Ron asked. "You are suddenly on our side now?"

"I was always on your side, Mister Weasley. Or did you not get the explanation Potter left for you?"

"We got it." Hermione said. "And we found Malfoy. It's just very hard to believe is all."

Snape smirked. "If I was unable to convince people to believe what I wanted, I wouldn't have been able to be a spy for so long, don't you think?"

"Doesn't mean any of it makes sense." Ron muttered. "I mean, Dumbledore was your friend…"

"I think we have more important things to worry about right now." Snape nodded, placing the jars and vials into a black potions case and firmly securing them in place before lifting the bag. "Like the dying, as opposed to the already dead."

This got the focus of the couple. "Where is he?" Ron asked again, his voice void of emotion.

"You have a way of contacting the others?" Snape asked.

Hermione nodded, pulling one of the coins that they had used with the defence training group Harry had run a couple of years before.

Snape nodded in recognition of the device. "Get them to meet us in the old kitchen. He's being kept in the store rooms that lead down into the cellar from there. If you can, warn them that the kitchen is usually guarded." Then turned and started walking away from them, cautiously looking both ways along the corridor before leaving the room.

As they reached the kitchen, they found Remus and Tonks already standing at the scrubbed oak table, their wands raised to the door as they entered. At their feet lay an unconscious and bound Death Eater and they stared at Snape as he led Hermione and Ron into the room, but their attention was distracted as the door opened at the other end of the kitchen to reveal Moody limping though, closely followed by Kingsley, Arthur and Bill.

"You've found him?" Remus asked the first three, lowering his wand on recognition of friends.

"Snape said he was being kept in here somewhere." Ron said.

"You are risking your cover to tell us where he is?" Tonks asked, distrust lacing her words.

"My time here is over." Snape said, placing his bag on the table. "If we are ever to win this war, then my time will be better spent at Potter's side, making sure he doesn't do anything more foolish than handing himself over to a megalomaniac."

"Did he kill the snake?" Moody asked.

Snape hesitated before he answered. "Yes. He killed the snake." he said, and watched as relief and a spark of hope lit the eyes of those around them. He took a deep breath and continued to say the words he knew could break them. "He killed Nagini moments before he found out that she wasn't the seventh Horcrux."

Silence fell on the room. "You know about the Horcruxes?" Remus asked.

Snape nodded and made his way across the large kitchen, pulling his wand out and noting the others raised their's to point at him. "Albus told me about them before he died, knowing that Potter would require my assistance before the end. In addition to this, the Dark Lord educated us on them several days ago, before locking the boy down here. It was important for them to know why he shouldn't be killed."

He flicked his wand at the large kitchen dresser, which shuddered and started to slide to the side.

"Do you have any idea what the seventh one is?" Hermione asked as Snape once more retrieved his bag and then opened the door that had been hidden behind the dresser.

Snape hesitated at the top of the dark stairs leading down before lighting his wand. "I think that is something that Potter should explain." he said, and gave a mock bow. "After you."

Ron stepped forward to lead the way, but Remus held up his hand and placed it on his shoulder. "Let me go first." he said, staring into the young man's eyes.

Ron nodded, lighting his wand and falling into step behind the werewolf as they descended into the darkness.

At the bottom of the stairs there was a sealed door.

"Are there any wards on this door?" Remus called back to where Severus was.

"There haven't been." Snape returned. "I doubt anyone was ever meant to make it this far in… or out!"

"That's reassuring." Bill said sarcastically. "Want me to come forward and have a look?" he offered.

Remus looked back up the stairs and shook his head. "Let's just take a chance shall we." he said, and before Moody could say anything against it, grasped the handle and swung the door open.

He closed his eyes as he stepped forward into the room, but instead of the waves of pain and loud sirens that he expected he felt nothing, and opened his eyes to darkness.

"Anything?" a voice from behind asked.

"Nothing." he replied, glancing back at Ron's face as it reflected the light from their wands. "Just a corridor."

"He's in the third room on the left." Snape's somber voice said from the back.

"Right." Remus acknowledged, and moved forward cautiously.

His nerves were on edge, and the air became thicker with a sweet scent the further down the corridor he went.

"What is that smell?" Hermione asked from behind Ron.

"I don't think you want to know." Bill replied.

"Blood." Kingsley quietly confirmed to Hermione's questioning look as they gathered outside the third door.

"Oh Merlin, Harry!" Hermione said in realisation.

Remus threw open the door, two torches on opposite walls in the room flaring up as they entered.

The group piled into the room and stood in shock at the sight before them.

Hanging limply in the middle of the room was Harry. His hands had been impaled on a meat-hook set in the middle of the ceiling, and blood ran freely from his wounds onto his naked torso and soaking into a dark ring on the waistband on his torn trousers before dripping onto the dusty floor below him.

"Couldn't you do anything?" Tonks asked Snape with disbelief as she took in the sight.

Snape just took in the sight with what looked to be regret on his face. "I have healed his wounds several times over the past few days." he said regretfully. "These have been inflicted within the last hour."

"For the sake of all things magic, get him down from there!" Moody exclaimed.

Ron was the first to respond to the order and rushed to his friend, hesitating as he neared the mutilated body. He reached out and gently took Harry's chin, raising his friend's head and softly saying his name.

He heard a choking sob behind him and felt Hermione at his shoulder. He glanced to see tears streaming down her face as her eyes searched her friend's unconscious face.

Ron felt his stomach lurch when he saw the open scar that ran across his friend's face. "Harry?" he asked again and his eyes opened wider when he felt the chin in his hand jerk slightly.

"That's it, mate." he said. "We're here."

"Ron?"

The whisper that left Harry's cracked lips could have been no more than an expulsion of breath, but Ron felt his face light up with a grin, unsurprised to feel streams of tears running down his cheeks.

Harry's right eye was sealed shut with the ugly scar that ran across it, but Ron watched with a flood of relief that the other eye fluttered a little and opened just enough to let the light reflect of it's wetness.

Harry's lips moved again, and another whisper came out.

"I'm here too, Harry." Hermione said, reassurance in her voice. "Remus and the others are here as well. We've come to take you home."

They noticed a small smile of relief cross the boys face before a frown cross the parts of the face that were intact. He lips moved again, but not even a breath escaped his lips this time.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, you lump." Ron said affectionately. "Let's just get you out of here, and we'll talk about all this later, eh?"

The chin that was resting heavily in his hand jerked slightly, before the cloudy green eye that was looking at him disappeared as he closed his eyes again and the head once more became a dead weight.

"Let's get him down." Kingsley said softly. "Bill, you and Ron help me take his weight. Remus, can you get that hook free from the ceiling? I don't think we should risk damaging his hands any more."

The Weasley's and Kingsley gently took hold of the boy around the waist and chest, careful not put an excess amount of pressure on his wounds whilst Tonks gently took Hermione's arm and led her back a few steps to give them room to lie his body down once he had been freed.

Remus raised his wand to the hook that hung from the ceiling and muttered a couple of words under his breath. The hook fell free with a cloud of dust and Harry's arms fell forward.

Snape and Remus stepped forward, making eye contact briefly before helping the others take the undernourished body and turn it over so that Harry could be laid on the stone floor.

Harry's arms, so used to being raised above his head and still impaled by the hook through his palms fell across his face when he was turned over and when Kingsley reached up to lower them down, Severus put a hand out and stopped him.

"His shoulder was badly damaged a couple of days ago." he said. "It's probably best that we don't move him any more than is necessary."

"Here," Hermione said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out an over-sized Portkey Pin. "I think we should surround him, try and keep him as still as possible as we return to Hogwarts."

She knelt down next to one of Harry's shoulders, Ron on her left and Moody struggling to get onto his knees by his head.

"Ready?" Remus asked, and everyone placed their hands on Harry. "On the count of three. One. Two…"

The door to the room opened, and a Death Eater gave a cry of alarm just as Remus said "three", sending the rescue team and their charge to the safety of Hogwarts' infirmary amidst a shower of curses.


	60. Home

Chapter 60

In the brief moment that it took them to Portkey Harry back to Hogwarts, everything went from calm and quiet planning to completely chaos.

Madame Pomfrey immediately took charge of Harry, ordering Ron, Remus and Bill to carry him carefully to a private room at the end of the ward that was usually reserved for staff or children with contagious diseases, but on this occasion would ensure the privacy they needed to treat Harry without distraction.

Snape followed close by her shoulder as they walked down the ward, explaining something quietly in her ear whilst everyone else raised their voices to speak above each other, trying to recount what had happened and asking questions all at the same time.

The matron looked at Snape intently whilst he spoke, and with the smallest of hesitations nodded to him, allowing him to assist her as Harry was laid carefully on the bed, listening carefully as Snape began to explain the boy's condition and injuries in a low, calm voice.

McGonagall and Kingsley tried to take charge of the rest of the group as well as those who had been waiting in the room, speaking in attempt to convince them to give the medi-witch space and time to treat Harry before smothering him with their concerns.

///////////////////

It took Harry a long while to make sense of his surroundings with the loud noises and constant movement. The sense of warmth and softness of the surface he was lying on confused his aching mind for a long while before he managed to remember the cold, damp surface that had been the alternative he had suffered over the past few days.

As the past events began to replay themselves in his mind, he tensed up, his mind returning enough to become aware of how much his various wounds and injuries pained him.

He groaned as the muscles in his lower back and shoulder cramped up, the unnatural position of his raised arms making the pain spread like fire throughout the rest of his body.

"Harry?"

He groaned again, fighting to place a name to the familiar voice yet unable to control the fear that rushed through his veins as he felt something touch his shoulder.

"Hey, mate, it's okay. It's me. It's Ron. It's all okay now."

Harry tried to control the violent shaking that had started in his limbs. Groaning though clenched teeth, making his jaw ache as the pain began to increase with shooting sparks through his body.

"Harry, just calm down. I promise, it's all safe now!"

The injured boy so wanted to believe the voice, but through in the darkness behind his closed eyelids the horrors of his most recent situation refused to stop projecting themselves into his mind. He fought to release his arms from above his head, but the sharp pain in his palms prevented from doing so. He remembered the hook. Surely if he was somewhere safe they would've released him by now?

"Madam Pomfrey!" he heard the voice call. "I think he's awake, but I can't get him to calm down!"

The tightness around Harry's chest constricted as he sensed several other people rush towards him. He felt something brush against the side of his face and he struggled to jerk away, his breaths coming in shallow gasps with the occasional sob.

"Harry? Harry! It's Molly Weasley. You have to calm down. You're safe now. Can you open your eyes and look at me? You're safe now!"

Harry ground his teeth against the pain caused by his cramping legs and tried to force his eyes open.

"That's it." the calm voice said. "That's a good boy. Just open your eyes and look at me now. You'll see everything is fine…"

"Isn't there anything you can give him to help?"

Harry nearly cried out at the sound of another new voice.

"No." came the reply, causing Harry to lose the little sense of hope that he had, even though he wasn't even entirely aware of the nature of the question. "The amount of painkillers he has already been given are pretty much over the limit as it is. Just keep talking to him. I'm hoping his own magic will kick in to help him as soon as he relaxes enough."

"Or his mind will snap." Another, colder voice said quietly. "Then we'll never be able to reach him."

Harry's breath caught in his chest as he mental image of his old potions professor appeared in his mind, keeping him alive after all his torture sessions. He associated that voice with the relief he felt from the darkness, the pain from the curses and the dripping wounds caused by the knife.

But he felt no relief now, only panic.

"Harry?"

"He's become rigid!"

"Harry, you have to breathe! Harry!"

Harry opened his eyes as much as the swelling would allow, almost instantly making contact with those of his Severus Snape.

"You're safe now." A voice to Harry's right said, making his gaze jump from the dark shadows to a pair of amber orbs. The eyes softened slightly as Harry looked into them. "You're home."

The primal desire to breathe suddenly overcame Harry's desire fear and he inhaled with a cough before nearly choking as he vomited.

"Get him on his side!"

A sudden rush towards he bed and a large number of hands taking hold of his body to carefully turn him indicated to Harry that there were more people in the room than he had originally thought.

Harry heaved for barely a minute, bringing up precious little from his stomach, but unable to go against the innate response to remove the source of fear in any way possible.

"Are you okay, Harry?"

Harry raised his blood-shot eyes to meet the concerned gaze of his father's friend.

"Remus?"

The smile that broke across the werewolf's face as someone muttered "scourgify" left no doubt in Harry's mind that he was no longer in Voldemort's lair.

He struggled to push himself up, moving his head so that he could look around the room once he found his arms were useless.

He recognised the tall, plain glass windows of the Hogwarts infirmary, though most of their light was blocked by the circle of people around his bed.

"You feeling better, Harry?" Hermione asked softly, leaning forward next to Remus.

"Obviously you won't feel great." Ron said over her shoulder. "But you are safe here."

Harry blinked a couple of times before exhaustion once more took over.

///////////////////

"Right, everyone out!" Madame Pomfrey ordered as she watched the boy slip into unconsciousness once more. "I think the poor boy has been through enough without having to deal with you all as well. You can wait outside in the ward if you wish, but do not interrupt my work. Severus…" she took the potion masters arm and held him back. "I would like you to stay. You'd have more idea than anyone what his ailments are, and no doubt I'll be needing some potions from you before too long."

Snape nodded, and started undoing his cloak, rolling up his sleeves and going to a small wash basin in order to scrub his hands clean.

The matron nodded at his actions before shooing everyone else out of the room, including Remus and Molly who both tried to stare her down before reluctantly leaving the room, closing the door behind them.

They all placed themselves around the main ward, feeling helpless as they settled themselves in for a long wait. As some took seats on the beds and chairs, the double doors at the end flew open and Ginny, Neville and Luna sprinted along the ward to the private room.

"Not now, Ginny." Bill said softly, leaving his wife's side and grabbing his sister to pull her into a tight embrace.

"Why can't I see him?" Ginny demanded, pushing against his chest. "He probably needs his friends now more than ever. He'd want us in there!"

Fred placed a sympathetic hand on his sister's shoulder. "I don't think Harry is really in a condition to see anyone right now." he said somberly, recalling the condition of his friend as he had been carefully carried down the ward.

Ginny's eyes filled with tears, but she shook them off. "What did they do to him?" she demanded.

"You don't want to know." Remus said in a low voice.

"Tell them, Remus!" Ginny said, rushing to him and grabbing his hands. "Harry would feel better knowing we were there with him, right?"

Remus just shook his head tiredly and pushed past the group to take a seat on one of the beds further down the ward. He hung his head in his hands and barely responded when Tonks came to take a seat next to him, rubbing his back gently across the shoulders.

The younger students stared in silence, mesmerized by the elder man's actions, before Neville said in a small voice "It's really bad this time, isn't it?"

His words were more of a statement than a question and caused Ginny to break into deep heart-felt sobs, allowing herself to be pulled instantly into a tight embrace by her oldest brother.

"He was cut multiple times." Ron told them, standing hand-in-hand with his girlfriend. "I think I heard Snape say something about being bitten by Nagini. And an attack from Fenrir. And his hands…"

He grimaced and Hermione pulled him into a warm embrace.

"And his face." George mentioned softly, recalling the deep wounds that seemed to have replaced one side of Harry's face.

He looked to Fred, who shrugged slightly before sitting down on one of the beds next to Charlie who was absently picking at some of the calluses that covered his hands.

They waited in silence for almost an hour, barely noticing when McGonagall organised for one of the house elves to bring up cups of hot tea that sat unnoticed in the anxious hands of Harry's loved ones.

When the handle to the private room eventually turned, their heads all snapped up, and several stood to hear any update from the inside.

Snape appeared in the doorway, seeming unsurprised at the attention he was getting as he closed the door quietly behind him.

"What's happening?" Arthur asked, standing closest to the door with his wife.

"We're still working on him." Snape said. "We've removed the hook and controlled most of the bleeding, but he's still got a long way to go." he looked a little hesitant. "We're also concerned about his mental health. He was put under the cruciatus curse more times than I was present for. His body keeps fitting and cramping due to their continued effects." he glanced to where Neville stood behind Ron and Hermione. "Whereas these seizures will eventually pass, I'm sure you understand what the long-lasting effects could be. I'm just heading down to my old potions store to see if there is anything down there that could help."

He stepped past the group but was stopped by the twins who stood before him.

"You think we're going to let you go by yourself?" Fred asked.

Snape stared at the twins, trying to judge the threat they posed before nodding once, seeing only concern for their friend in their faces. "I could do with some assistance." he acknowledged, and turned back to the group and nodded towards Bill and Remus. "Mr Weasely, Lupin, Poppy requires your help whilst I'm gone."

"Why them?" Ron asked a little defensively.

"Because they've spent a lot of time in her care. They know how she works and she knows them well enough to trust them." Snape replied, with a hint of the sourness that he used to use during class. "We can't afford any mistakes at this time."

And with that, he spun on one foot, his robes billowing slightly as he walked down the ward, the twins close on his heels.

With a look, Remus and Bill made their way quietly into the room, each sucking in a deep breath as they saw the pile of blood soaked bandages that sat on one of the tables in the room.

"Good," Poppy said, pointing to a large bowl of water at one side of the room. "Wash up over there," she said. "I'm limited by the amount of potions I can use at this time, and I don't want any of his wounds getting infected."

"What do you need us to do?" Remus asked, scrubbing his hands vigorously next to Bill.

"His shoulder was dislocated during an attack from Fenrir several days ago." she said, busily moving about the room and picking up various potions bottle, glancing at the labels and putting them back down until she found the one she wanted. "Snape made an attempt to replace it, but was unable to do so by himself. It will take one to support his weight and the other to brace him whilst I move it back into it's socket."

She came over to Bill, and even though the slightly plump medi-witch barely came up to his shoulder she moved him until he sat on the edge of the bed.

He looked down with a gulp, remember a time not so long ago when he had been lying on a similar bed, his face similarly covered by bloodied bandages. He lightly ran his fingers over the scars that had been left from his fight with Fenrir, and smiled grimly at the correlation between himself and Harry.

Madame Pomfrey had gone around to the other side of the bed with Remus, and was assisting him to lift the unconscious boy up into a seated position until he was resting forward against Bill's shoulder.

As the medi-witch started to position Remus, showing him where he could place his hands to support Harry's body without aggravating any of his injuries they heard a groan from the young man before them.

"Harry, are you awake?" Remus asked, leaning forward until he could see Harry's face pressed against Bill's robes.

The slight guttural sound that Remus had heard before was heard again, and the half of Harry's face that wasn't covered by bandages screwed itself up in determination, as if he was fighting to return to consciousness.

Remus gave steady, yet quiet encouragement to the injured boy and eventually the one eye that hadn't been covered with bandages cracked open ever so slightly.

Remus smiled gently as the emerald eye stared into his.

"Welcome back." He said with a whisper.

Harry's response was to heave a shaky sigh then he buried his head further into Bill's shoulder, not seeming to care who was holding him but just grateful for the caring embrace and gentle back rubs as he closed his eye again in an attempt to sink back into the darkness where he was free from pain and trauma.

"Are we still going to go ahead with this?" Bill asked the matron as Harry breathed softly into his neck. "Or do you think we should wait until he's completely gone again?"

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "We should do it now." She said with a hint of regret. "There is no way to heal it with magic the way it is at the moment, and there is only so much pain relieving potions can do. I only regret I can't give him anything to ensure he's completely unconscious before we do this. I just can't risk mixing too many potions with what he's been through."

Bill nodded, and shifted Harry until his shoulder was fully supporting the weight of the boy's chest. Remus positioned himself behind the boy, adding extra support and leaving the matron to take a firm hold of Harry's upper arm and place her hand firmly against his back.

"I hope you're ready for this, mate." Bill muttered into his Harry's hair just above his ear, bracing himself as the matron gave him a nod. "I imagine this is going to hurt."

The matron, without any further warning, gave the shoulder a sharp twist and a shove, and winced as a scream was emitted from the semi-conscious boy.

As soon as Poppy had released her strong grip, Remus moved around the bed to take the sobbing boy in his arms, speaking in a low voice to try and sooth the boy's gasping breaths as he ran his fingers through the dark hair, tears running down his own face as Bill helped the nurse wrap the shoulder firmly with a supporting bandage.


	61. Recovery

_Apologies for the long delay... the muses left me just as i started working on the big (or not!?!) finale. However, they seemed to have returned, at least temporarily and so I'm taking advantage of them whilst I can. Thanks again for all those taking time to review... the usual few and the occasional newcomer. Would love more though... they make me smile! Kit. xxx_

Chapter 61:

When Harry had been bandaged up and settled comfortably against the soft pillows, the nurse had given permission for his friends to come visit in small groups whilst she took stock of the situation and planned his further treatment.

The first to enter were Ron, Hermione and Ginny and they glanced about the spacious room which was well lit with one large window, before making their way towards the room's only bed placed centrally facing the view.

The group was acknowledged by a nod from Madame Pomfrey as she carried some fresh bandages from a side cupboard to the beside table, next to which stood Remus and Bill. The former of which was standing guard over his charge whilst the latter was rolling up bandages that had not yet been used.

Harry was laying on the bed before them, a blanket pulled up to his waist. His semi-naked torso and left shoulder was covered by numerous bandages, some of which were still soaking up blood. His arms were also bandaged heavily up to the forearm and what they could see of his right shoulder and neck was discoloured with a deep purple laced with yellows and greens, a sharp contrast to the pale sheets on which he lay.

The most shocking feature of the unconscious boy was his face, one side of which was hidden by blood-red bandages.

Ginny emitted a loud sob at the image and turned into her brother's shoulder, burying her head into his broad chest. Ron didn't flinch though, and he and Hermione stood silently observing their friend much like Remus was.

Poppy looked up at her visitors. "I'm about to change the bandages on his hands." she said softly. "Are you okay to stay?"

The three younger folk nodded, and Ginny emerged from her brother's shoulder.

"We aren't going anywhere." Ron said. "Not this time."

Poppy nodded and started to cut away the bandages from one of his hands, revealing the fleshy mess and blood soaked skin of his palms.

"Does that…?" Ginny started to ask.

"Go all the way through?" Snape finished as he walked into the room behind them, his voice uncharacteristically soft as he placed four large bottles onto the bedside table. "Yes, it does." He was closely followed by the twins who also carried several bottles and tubs of cream.

"He was hung from his hands when we found him." Ron explained to his younger sister and brothers. "Even if he were able to survive the wounds they inflicted, he would never have been able to lever himself free."

"You think he'll be okay?" Hermione asked a little tentatively.

Madame Pomfrey accepted a wet cloth that Bill had passed her, and she gently started to clean the wound in Harry's hand with a small pot of lotion that she had placed on the mattress next to him.

"He'll live." she said. "Though I think it's a little to early to say whether or not he'll be alright."

"Is there anything we can do?" Ron asked.

"Not a lot." the nurse replied. "It's just a case of keeping his wounds dry and clean until they heal. But I'm sure he'd appreciate the company once he wakes."

"When do you think that will be?" Ginny asked

"I have given him a calming draught." the nurse explained. "Poor boy was exhausted so I expect him to sleep long into tomorrow afternoon. Once he wakes we'll give him something to eat, and providing there's no complications he'll soon start recovering his energy. From experience, there isn't much that will Mr Potter down for very long."

"He looks so thin." Hermione said, coming over to the nurse and offering to take over re-bandaging the hand so that the nurse could start on the other arm.

"I doubt he's eaten for over a week." Snape said, opening several bottles and taking a quick sniff of their contents before instructing the twins to mix a couple of their contents together. Even though the twins had caused him a lot of trouble of the years and may have conducted some foolish experiments, not once did Snape doubt their competency when it came to dealing with potions.

He made his way over to the bed and stood next to Remus. "If he did manage to eat anything, it could only have been snatched whilst he was on the loose."

"Can you tell us what happened?" Remus asked, his amber eyes searching those of his childhood enemy.

Snape returned the look, but no longer felt the animosity that once sat between them, instead he only saw the concern that the werewolf felt for the child of his dead friend.

"Potter managed to evade re-capture for about a day. How he managed to stay hidden so long, I don't know. Locate spells sent people into empty rooms or to dead ends. It amazes me to think that he had the sense to remain hidden for so long, and can only assume he spent the time looking for the snake. When he managed to kill her he naturally made a sprint for the exit.

"He was caught not long after and confronted the Dark Lord with the destruction of the horcruxes. I guess he thought that making him angry would cause him to launch an attack on the school, giving you all chance to kill him now that he was mortal."

"But you mentioned another horcrux." Hermione said. "In the kitchen you said the snake was dead, but that she wasn't the horcrux."

Snape shook his head. "She was supposed to be." he admitted. "But the night he killed Potter's parents, things didn't go to plan and the horcrux was placed elsewhere."

"Do you know where?" Remus asked. "Can we make the search for it?"

Snape shook his head. "I can't say anymore." he said, turning and walking away from the bed as if it suddenly pained him to see Harry lying there.

"You can't, or won't?" Ron asked angrily.

Snape looked up, his face once more moulded into the blank, emotionless expression that they were more used to. "Won't." he replied bluntly. "It will be up to Potter to explain further. I refuse to betray his confidences."

"So Harry knows what it is?" Hermione asked. "And by your reaction it must be something he is close to." she looked to Ron. "Maybe something in his house?"

She examined Snape's expression carefully should he give anything away, but there was no reaction from her former professor.

"By holding back the information, don't you think it will hinder our chances should Voldemort attack?" Bill asked from where he stood, his arms now crossed as he leaned against Harry's bedside table.

Snape shook his head, glancing towards the bed. "The horcrux isn't that well hidden." he said sombrely. "It will be easy to reach should the time come. The difficulty will come with trying to destroy it."

He took a deep breath. "I'm going to get some fresh air." he said. "It's been a long week. If you need me I'll be in the greenhouses procuring some supplies."

"What do you think the horcrux could be?" George asked once the door had closed.

"It couldn't be anything Harry carries around with him." Hermione said. "He'd be burning his fingers all the time, like he did with the necklace."

Madame Pomfrey stood after finishing Harry's second hand and gathered up the few items she had left on the bed. "I think it's about time you all let the boy rest." she said, interrupting their conversation. "There are still some people out there that want to see Potter, and no doubt you could all do with a good meal and some sleep. It's been a stressful week."

"You'll call us if he wakes?" Ginny asked, gently brushing some hair from Harry's forehead.

"Straight away." she promised.

Ginny leant forward and gently placed a kiss where her hand had been resting moments before.

"Sleep tight." she whispered.

"Yeah, mate." Ron said, "We'll be back in the morning."

The others said their goodbyes, leaving only Remus and the matron in the room.

"That means you as well, Mr Lupin." the nurse said sternly. "You aren't going to make him feel any better if he wakes up and finds you looking like you're at death's door yourself."

Remus nodded and mimicked Ginny by placing his hand on Harry's forehead. "See you in the morning." he said before walking out the door and leaving the injured boy to rest.


	62. Cleansing

Chapter 62:

Barely four hours later, Harry was stood facing a wall and letting scalding hot water wash over him, taking with it not only the dirt and grime that came with a weeks worth of traversing through dusty corridors, but also the feel of being used as a plaything, a toy to torture whenever the Death Eaters had felt like it.

Behind him, just around the corner of the shower room lay a large pile of bloodied bandages. Many of his wounds were still weeping, or, in the case of Nagini's bite wound in his shoulder and the deep wounds in his hands, bleeding freely. But right now he felt more healed by the water than any of the potions and lotions Madame Pomfrey had been giving him.

The time he had spent in the shower had also allowed him to heal his mind to a degree as well. Though many things still remained hazy, including his most recent journey to the shower room, his thoughts were slowly becoming clearer, no longer weighed down by the sluggishness caused by the multiple cruciatus curses he had survived. Unfortunately for Harry, the added clarity brought with it a reminder of the truth. _He was the last horcrux._

It was a given truth, in order to defeat Voldemort he, himself, would have to die.

_But how?_

Harry felt a tear join the stream of water that fell down his face as he lifted it towards the stream of water. A violent shiver ran through his body, even with the shower's temperature set as high as it was, and the scar that covered his face stung with the water. But Harry welcomed the pain. It reminded him not that he was dying, but that he was still alive. Which made the knowledge that he was living on borrowed time all that much more poignant.

_When the time came, would he be able to take his own life?_

Harry knew he would never be able to pass the responsibility onto any of his friends. He doubted he would even tell any of them his terrible secret unless he really had to. Snape might help him if he asked, but Harry knew the man felt enough guilt over the death of the headmaster and knew it would be unfair to ask him to do the same again.

Even the option of handing himself over to the Death Eaters had been taken away from him. No matter what he did to annoy them, their orders would be to take him alive and to cage him like some sort of pet, to helplessly watch as Voldemort culled the world of muggle-borns, squibs and non-magic folk.

He shook his head, flicking his hair out of his swollen eye. He placed his injured hands against the tiled wall, absently watching as a thin stream of pink ran down the wall from the holes that ran through his palm and steeled himself for the decision he was about to make. There was no other way around it.

_But when?_

Sooner? People would assume he couldn't cope with what happened during his capture. Only Snape would know the truth and he'd be able to explain to his closest friends. Let the rest of the world think what they wanted.

Later? It would mean he'd get to spend more time with friends. His family. But he knew they would not be happy with his previous decision to hand himself on a platter to the darkest wizard around. They would still love him, but he knew he had breached their trust and it would take a while until things were back to normal. It seemed unfair to put them through all that just to let them down again. Would he be able to keep the secret for that long? And would he have the guts to leave them again once he'd had the chance to remember how good life could be?

_Sooner would be better!_

He looked about the shower room and his eyes fell on a razor that one of the prefects had left behind. He snorted at the irony. Most adolescent wizards used magic to shave with and only a handful of muggle-borns still used the more traditional method. What was the chances of someone leaving one behind on today of all days?

He reached out and clumsily picked up the razor with his swollen fingers. It took even longer and several slices to the ends of his fingertips before he was able to free the blade, but he was eventually able to hold the edge of one of the blades against his wrist and took a deep breath, mentally encouraging himself to get it over with.

"Harry?"

He jumped when he heard the main door to the prefect's bathroom open into the outer changing room. His numb fingers dropped the blade, and he watched it fall to the shower floor. He quickly placed one foot over the top, keeping his naked back to the shower room door as his name was called out again.

"Harry?"

His head turned ever so slightly to see Bill standing there.

"Are you okay? You've had everyone worried!"

Harry looked back at the tiled wall, gulping back his guilt before saying "I'm sorry."

Bill came further into the room, passing the nightgown and bandages Harry had removed before he had turned the shower on. "There's no need to be sorry." he said reassuringly. "I can understand why you wanted to get away. But even Snape's been running around in a panic! We didn't expect you to wake up until tomorrow afternoon you see."

Harry smiled grimly to the wall, knowing that Snape's motivation probably revolved around the idea that Harry was likely to do something silly. He glanced down to where his foot hid the razor blade and realised the potions master wasn't far wrong.

"How did you know I'd be here?" Harry asked, his voice croaking slightly with misuse.

"A couple of years ago I got shut inside an Egyptian tomb." Bill explained, leaning against one of the walls, ignorant of the condensation that would soak his robes. "I was lucky enough to find a source of water to keep me alive, but when I was released a week later all I wanted was a large meal, a shower, and one of these."

Harry looked around to see Bill holding out a blue toothbrush that he must've conjured from somewhere. "I swear the inside of my mouth felt worse than the dried out mummies I had been residing with." Bill explained with a small smile that grew when Harry reached out with clumsy fingers to take the gift from him.

"Are you going to tell everyone I'm here?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Bill shook his head. "No." he said. "You deserve some space. Some alone time to sort through things. Though I will be waiting outside to help you back to the hospital wing when you're ready. My only advice would be is not to stay too long under the water, it may help you clear your head and think through some things, but it won't help your physical wounds heal."

Harry nodded and Bill turned to leave.

"Bill!"

The older Weasely turned around, but Harry couldn't put into words what he wanted to say. He couldn't work out what he wanted from his friend. Help with his problem? The company?

"I'm glad you're okay." he said eventually, stuttering slightly as he became aware that Bill had been standing there silently, waiting for the naked boy to finish saying what he wanted.

Bill smiled and nodded, understanding that was a lot more that Harry wanted to say with those few words. "Ditto." he said simply, and turned, leaving Harry feeling tired and drained under the hot water, wincing as another convulsion ran through his body.

Harry didn't stay much longer under the water. The shock and guilt he felt about what he had just been about to do prevented the warm water from warding off the shivers that ran through his body.

With shaking limbs he managed to turn the water off and make his way back into the main changing room, only to find that he barely had the energy to dry himself off and put some shorts on, let alone work out a way to replace all the bandages.

He limped to the main door, and gently knocked on the wood with his elbow. When Bill stuck his head in enquiringly, Harry had the grace to look sheepish as he indicated to his injured hands.

"Any chance I could get some help?" he asked.

Bill looked at him with concern. "Are you feeling alright, Harry?" he said, following him into the room and watching as he took a seat on one of the wooden benches that lined the outer room. "You look really pale."

Harry mentally took stock of his body, noting how his legs felt like jelly and his hands visibly shook. Whereas he had put these feelings down to what he had just tried to do, reality proved that he really wasn't feeling that normal.

"I think I might've pushed things a bit far." Harry admitted, sniffing slightly and examining the raw looking wounds on his body. He laughed apologetically. "I don't even remember why I decided to come down here! Heck, I don't even remember _how_ I got here!"

Bill squatted down in front of him and smiled reassuringly, much like an older brother would do to a foolish young sibling. "I would tell you how stupid it was to leave your bed in this condition." he said, "But I imagine you'll hear enough of that from the others. How about we bandage you up as quick as we can and get you back before you pass out on me?"

Harry smiled back in return and nodded, patiently watching as Bill got some clean bandages from a first aid kit kept in the linen cupboard near the door.

"You think you'll be able to walk back?" Bill asked once he was done. "Or do you want me to levitate you?"

Harry shook his head, barely able to keep his eyes open any more. "I'll try it first." he said. "If you're happy to help?"

Bill nodded. "I won't go anywhere." he said and stood up, helping Harry gain his balance on shaky legs.

They hadn't got very far before they saw Bill's father hurrying towards them.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" he exclaimed as he came closer, noting Harry's wet hair and how Bill's hand was firmly supporting Harry's left elbow. "Are you okay, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry, Mr Weasely." he said weakly. "I don't know what I was thinking…"

Arthur looked up and sent a questioning look to his son, who simply shook his head a little. "Just needed a little time to yourself, didn't you Harry?" Bill said as they made it to the foot of the large staircase they would have to climb to return to the hospital wing.

Harry looked up at the steep staircase, wondering how he had ever managed to make it down them in his condition without breaking his neck. He shook his head slightly, "I don't know if I can do this." he said softly.

"Climb the stairs? Or return to Madame Pomfrey?" Bill asked.

Harry glanced at him. "Both?" he suggested weakly.

"Hey, you found him!"

Harry, Bill and Arthur looked up to see Fred and George skipping down the stairs towards them.

"No offence, mate." George said. "But you look like you've just about had it!"

"None taken." Harry said. "I feel worse!" he said moments before crying out and falling to the floor, his muscles convulsing with the after-effects of the cruciatus curse.

It was several minutes before he could hear his friend's concernedly calling his name over his cries and harsh breathing, but eventually the pain ebbed away, leaving him leaning against Arthur in an exhausted heap.

"You alright?" Fred asked.

Harry just smiled half-heartedly. "Why do I get the impression I'm going to be asked that a lot?" he asked.

George shrugged. "It's a given thing with you." he said. "People greet me with "hi, Forge, how you doing?" and people greet you with a simple "what have you got yourself into this time?"!"

Harry looked past the twins to the stairs stretching up behind them. "I don't think I'm ever going to make it back up those." he said weakly.

"Never say never." Fred said, standing back up and linking hands with his brother, crossing their hands and gripping each other's wrists firmly before kneeling before him again.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, confused.

"It's a chair!" Fred explained. "We know how nauseating being levitated whilst conscious can make you feel…"

"… Not to mention how embarrassing…" George added. "We used to carry Ginny around like this all the time."

Harry looked a little dubious.

"We haven't dropped anyone yet!" Fred assured him.

"Yet!" Harry muttered under his breath as Bill and his father helped him sit himself cautiously upon their gripped hands.

"Just hold tight." Fred said as Harry put his left arm around his neck. His right shoulder still wasn't functioning well enough to place around George. "And we'll soon get you up the stairs."

Harry winced a little as the brothers lifted him up and started walking up the stairs, Bill walking with one hand in the middle of Harry's back to help support them.

"I'm a little larger than Ginny." he muttered as they neared the top of the first staircase.

"And we're a bit larger since the last time we attempted this, adoptive brother of ours!" George said, still smiling. "You honestly aren't all that heavy. We'll give you plenty of warning if we feel we can't cope."

Harry nodded, relaxing slightly as they walked towards the next set of stairs. It wasn't long before he heard George said his name sharply, but he had no energy left. His head was spinning uncontrollably and he felt extremely sick. With a sudden twist of gravity he felt himself falling backwards, barely aware that Fred and George had already lowered him closer to the floor and Bill had caught his shoulders as he slipped into the darkness.


	63. An alternative

Chapter 63

Harry woke to find himself half sat up in his hospital bed, a thick feather duvet wrapped around his body in order to ward off the chills that still plagued him. The room was empty and Harry had awakened with a thick tongue and a dry throat.

It had been several days since his adventure to the prefect's shower room, and he had spent the time drifting in and out of sleep, often simply pretending to be asleep so that he didn't have to face his friends. When he was awake the secret that imprisoned his heart prevented him from speaking more than one word answers to his friends, and though they put it down to the seriousness of the situation he had been through he had often caught Snape lurking around in the back of the room, a look of understanding and concern on his face. Harry had wondered on occasion why the ex-Death Eater hadn't told his friends about the location of the last horcrux, but other than briefly considering what their reactions would be he couldn't bring himself to care any further.

He turned his head to see a glass of water on the bedside table next to him, but one flex of his swollen purple fingers proved to him that getting the water wouldn't be easy.

After a few moments of patiently waiting for anyone to come into the ward, Harry gave into his thirst, moving his arm slowly due to the pain in his shoulder and clumsily trying to balance the glass between his fingers and thumb.

As he half-expected the glass fell with a smash against the floor and caused Harry to groan in frustration, mentally berating himself for being so clumsy and helpless.

Within moments Remus sprinted into the private room from the main hospital ward and came to a halt as he realised that Harry's bed was once again empty, the cover's pulled off of the mattress as if something had been dragged away and broken glass strewn over the floor

He let his eyes dart frantically around the room, looking for some clue as to his charge's whereabouts and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the silhouette of the boy against the large window at the other end of the room, perched on the wide ledge so that he could have a clear view of the Hogwart's grounds out of the window.

"Harry?" Remus enquired softly, coming fully into the room and walking to the window.

He saw the boy turn slightly in order to identify him with the eye that wasn't covered by bandages, then turn to look once more out into the bright afternoon.

"How are you feeling?" Remus asked softly as he reached the window, "I heard a smash, is everything okay?"

The only response he got was a shaky sigh as the boy continued to look away.

"Hey," Remus said gently, perching himself on the ledge opposite Harry so he could see the boy's face clearer. "What's wrong?"

Harry turned to face his father's friend, and Remus was shocked to see Harry's one eye was red and swollen with tears, though he supposed it was to be expected after what he had been through.

"Hey." Remus said again, sliding a little closer to the young man. "It's okay, Harry. You are safe now!"

He gently pulled the slightly resisting boy into his embrace and felt repressed sobs choke through the broken body. Harry's bandaged hands reached behind him as the weeping took hold and the boy buried his head into the man's shoulder as his body shook.

After a few minutes, Remus heard the door to the private ward open, and turned his head to see Madam Pomfrey walk in with a tray of potions and a small bowl with a spoon.

She placed the tray on the bedside table and looked over to the pair with sympathy in her eyes and a small, sad smile gracing her lips.

When she noticed Remus looking at her she silently picked up one of the potions and placed it away from the others, then placed her palms together and brought her hands up to the side of her face to indicate that it was a sleeping potion.

Remus nodded in understanding and the matron turned to leave, flicking her wand once to clear up the broken glass around the bed and glancing once more at the heaving sobs of the boy before closing the door behind her.

The werewolf sat for a long time with the sobbing boy, a large lump forming in his throat and he fell into deep reflection that was only broken when he realised that the boy in his arms had said something and was now shaking his head against the man's shoulder.

"What was that, Harry?" Remus asked gently, pulling away slightly so he could see Harry's lips move.

"How do you know?" Harry repeated in a stronger voice, though Remus had to wince at the amount of effort it took the boy to produce any sound through his dry throat.

"How do I know what, Harry?"

"How do you know that I'm safe? That everything is going to be okay?" he reached up a bandaged hand to swipe at his red face. "How do you know?"

Remus hesitated for a long moment, trying to think up an answer that would sooth the boy's worries. But his extended silence obviously answered the boy's question and Harry nodded his head in acceptance and looked back out the window.

"He won't stop." Harry said in a near whisper, so quiet that Remus had to lean forward to catch the words spoken by his damaged voice. "None of this will stop until he has me. Or until I..."

"Harry…" Remus started in a gentle yet firm voice, but was unable to continue as he was suddenly fixed with a stare from a single emerald eye.

"It's gonna happen, Remus." Harry said, and his eye darted back outside. "It's my fate." Remus sat in silence as the boy shook his head. "I can't go through with that again." he said. "I can't. I was so close to giving up this time, so close to handing him everything on a platter." his voice broke with another small sob and he reached up to wipe his face again. "He doesn't want to kill me." he said mournfully. "It's not what he wants. Dumbledore once said there were things worse than death… I just can't do it, Remus. Not again."

The door to the room opened again, and Remus looked up to see Snape standing there, a thick book resting in his arms.

In one look the ex-Death Eater took in the situation, but instead of leaving Remus saw a look of compassion pass over his pale face and he came further into the room. Snape placed the book on a table near the door and walked over to the window, stopping just behind Harry's shoulder.

"Just give me a moment with him." Snape said softly to the werewolf.

Remus was about to protest when he noticed Harry sitting as if frozen. He was obviously holding his breath, waiting in anticipation for whatever it was that Snape was going to say.

He hesitated and looked back to his childhood enemy, who had removed all his masks and nodded encouragingly to the werewolf, even going as far as to offer a small reassuring smile.

Still a little unsure Remus stood, placing an encouraging hand on Harry's shoulder before saying. "I'll be back in a couple of hours, okay?"

There was no response from the boy as he walked away, and Snape watched as the last marauder left the room, glancing over his shoulder once more before closing the door softly.

"What do you want?" Harry asked bitterly when the silence began to drag out.

"Just for you to look at yourself, Potter." Snape said, his voice edgy though not as harsh as it had once been. "You are an emotional wreck. You haven't eaten since you've been back. Why should the Dark Lord waste his efforts on trying to kill you when you're doing a good enough job already?"

"You forget, he's no longer trying to kill me." Harry retorted. "Rather he is trying to put me into some sort of semi-dead state for the rest of his eternal life."

"That's no excuse for giving up on life, Potter." Snape said, moving around until he had taken up Remus' position near the window. "I don't want you getting any foolish notions that taking your life would make every thing right again, cause it won't."

Harry snorted. "Who's to say I haven't already tried?" he looked up to see shock on the elder man's face. "I was interrupted." he explained. "By Bill." he looked down at his swollen and heavily bandaged hands. "Not that I was finding the job easy with these. I would ask someone else to help, but I haven't even got the heart to tell them the problem let alone put that sort of pressure on them. I know what I must do…" he glanced at Snape, but couldn't bring himself to finish what he was going to say.

"Many would think you would be taking the easy way out if you succeeded."

"I don't care what other people think as long as they're safe." Harry looked up at Snape. "But you know the real reason why. What would you think?"

Snape hesitated. "Do you remember that I made a promise to you?" he asked softly. "That I would do anything to ensure you wouldn't have to die?"

Harry nodded once. "I remember." he said. "Even though I know it was just an empty promise, it was just reassuring knowing that someone in that place cared enough to say it in the first place."

Snape took a deep breath, steeling himself for his next words. "I think that there may be another way, Potter." he said carefully. "But I need time to research it. And I'll need you to agree to a couple of conditions."

Harry was stunned into silence. "Another way? Why should I believe you?" he asked.

"Because I have already had to assist one man in giving his life to the cause. I refuse to think that the same has to happen again."

Harry felt his breath catch at the sincerity in Snape's voice. "But you have conditions." he said warily.

Snape nodded. "I won't lie to you, Potter. I don't know if this idea will be successful. It is actually very unlikely to succeed. But to give it the best chance you have to be as healthy and as fit as possible. You have to want to survive, Harry."

Harry blinked at the use of his first name, and his heart began to beat faster with new hope. "What's the idea?"

"Let's just say that the Dark Lord may not have been far wrong with his suggestion about how to keep you safe."

Harry thought for a moment before his eye opened in realisation. "You think the Draught of Living Death will kill the horcrux?" he asked in a rush.

Snape shook his head. "No. The Draught never actually kills a person. It just… freezes them in whatever state they are in at the time. To destroy the horcrux, your life must end. But with good health, a strong desire to survive and precise timing, we may be able to put your body in stasis at a point when the horcrux thinks you're dead and it will no longer be able to survive within you, yet you can be brought back once it's gone."

Harry's breath was shallow and quick. "You really think it's possible?"

Snape shrugged slightly. "As I said before, I don't hold much hope." He pointed towards the book that he had brought into the room with him. "I just need time to research the effects of the Draught. Maybe there is something that I can amend within the potion that will improve the chances slightly. Whatever the chances the Draught may give us, it won't work unless you want it to."

He placed a hand over one of Harry's bandaged limbs, causing the teenager to look into his eyes. "Let your friends back in, Harry." he advised. "You're going to need them to remind you how just how strong you can be."

Harry nodded. "I was just scared." he admitted. "To let them in when all I'd be doing is letting them down again."

Snape shook his head. "You are a remarkable young man, Potter. Not many would be so willing to give their life in such a way for their friends. You could never let them down, and should be able to live a happy life whilst you still can."

Harry heard the bitterness in the man's voice towards the end of his words. "You miss my mum, don't you." he said suddenly, wondering briefly where he had the nerve to say such a statement out loud.

Snape looked sharply at him, before softening his features and nodding. "Everyday." he said. "Seeing you just reminds me how close I had come to having a family." He sighed, his face changing to make him look the most human Harry had ever seen him, a man with dreams and desires just like any other. "But some things were just never meant to be."

Harry nodded and looked out the window. Failing to see anyone walking around outside he enquired about the time.

"Coming up to lunch." Snape replied, glancing at his watch.

Harry looked down at his pyjamas and then around the room. "You think you could help me get changed?" he asked a little shyly. "I'd like to go downstairs. See my friends."

Snape nodded with a small smile before his face schooled itself into the emotionless mask that Harry remembered so well and stood up from where he had been leaning against the windowsill. "There are some robes in the cupboard by your bed." he said. "If you start to get changed, I'll fetch some fresh bandages. Clean you up a bit before you present yourself to your adoring fan club."

Harry snorted slightly at the soft gibe and limped his way over to the bed, getting changed as quickly as he could whilst Snape was out of the room and cautiously beginning to remove the bandages across his face with his senseless fingers.

"Need some help, Potter?" Snape asked, coming back into the room with a small bowl of water.

Harry nodded, and dropped his hands to let Snape carefully remove the rest of the dressing.

"How does it look?" Harry asked tentatively, glad that he could now open both his eyes with only a little tightness in one corner.

"Ugly." Came Snape's brutal and honest reply. "But that was His intention, I think." he reached into the water and pulled out a clean cloth. "Most of it has healed up now. Only a small amount of the wound is left to heal. Don't misunderstand me, Potter, it will look better after being cleaned up but it isn't ever going to look pretty." He hesitated. "Have you even seen it yet?" Harry shook his head. Snape nodded, and pulled out his wand to conjure a mirror. "I think you ought to take a look. Forewarned is forearmed."

Harry looked into the mirror that Snape help up before him, and stared in shock at the three slashes that crossed his face. He hadn't made the connection at the time the wound was created, but the scar would heal in an enlarged version of the lightning bolt on his forehead. Snape had been right about how it had partially healed, leaving a swollen red line down the side of his face from the corner of one eye, across his cheek and finishing at the side of his chin.

After a few moments, Snape put the mirror down and silently finished his administrations at cleaning the wound, leaving Harry to work through his emotions. It didn't take long after that for Harry to finish cleaning up and dressing properly. He had refused to let Snape replace the dressing on his face, but appreciated the lighter, less cumbersome bandaging around his hands, allowing a slight increase in movement from his next-to-useless fingers. The bite wound was also re-dressed, Snape pointing out the muggle stitches that Madame Pomfrey had to resort to in order to ensure they healed.

"You sure you're ready to do this, Potter?" Snape asked once Harry had pulled himself to his feet, and began to walk to the main ward with a slight limp.

Harry nodded. "Would you mind walking with me?" he asked after a slight hesitation. "Knowing my luck I'll have another of those muscle cramp fits on the stairs if I went alone."

Snape just passed Harry and held the door open. "My life wouldn't be worth living if Madame Pomfrey heard I let the boy-who-lived leave without a responsible escort." he said with a hint of humour in his voice.

Harry just rolled his eyes in response, and stared as Snape pulled a familiar length of wood out of his pocket and held if out to him.

"I thought that was lost for good." Harry said, reaching out reverently to take hold of his wand. A comforting warmth passed up his arm and into his body once he was reunited with it and he couldn't help but let a small smile grace his face.

"I took it off you that moment I stunned you in Hogsmeade." Snape replied. "I didn't trust anyone else to not be tempted and break it. I figured you might need it again some day."

Harry nodded his appreciation and the two of them started the long, slow and silent descent down to the great hall.

They made it without mishap, though Harry had to rest often, wincing occasionally as his scarred feet protested at being used. Not one word had passed between the two until Harry found himself standing before the double doors that led to the great hall. He took a deep breath, consciously smoothing out his robes as he prepared himself for the attention he would likely receive once he pushed open the doors.

"Nervous, Potter?" Snape asked, not without a little amusement.

"Contrary to what you led yourself to believe, Snape, I don't particularly like nor crave public attention." Harry replied. "I was brought up completely ignored by my family, and when introduced to the wizarding world I suddenly found out I was expected to be some sort of hero. Rather than go from one extreme to the other, I'd much prefer a content and quiet life somewhere inbetween. All I need is a small group of friends, my family and a safe place to live. That would be my perfect life."

"Maybe one day you'll get your wish."

Harry snorted. "Not unless I can turn back time. Or memory charm everyone to forget the last seventeen years." he gestured to the doors. "You coming in?"

Snape shook his head. "Even though the staff are reluctantly accepting my presence in the castle, I don't think the students would be ready to see the man that killed their headmaster quite yet."

"Where will you go?" Harry asked.

"Down to the dungeons." Snape said. "Malfoy may not be able to attend main stream classes, but I don't want his education to suffer due to a bad decision he made when he was too young and foolish to understand the consequences."

"I'll see you later, then." Harry said and the tall, dark-haired wizard nodded once before turning and making his way to the stairs that led down to the lower levels of the castle.

Harry turned back to the hall, one more faced with the daunting prospect of facing his peers.

Sucking in a breath of Gryffindor courage, he pushed against one of the doors with his bandaged forearms, mindful of keeping his injured hands away from any pressure in order to prevent the sharp shooting pains caused by his wounds.


	64. The Great Hall

_Thanks to all those taking the time to review... everyone of them is greatly appreciated!!! Kit. xx_

Chapter 64

Harry hesitated in the doorway as he took in the familiar cacophony of smells and noise that he associated only with his time in the Great Hall. His chest swelled with a relief and rapture that he was certain had always been there whenever he entered the hall after a period of absence, but that he had never fully acknowledged before.

He took a moment to look up to the staff table to see the older generation of his friends sitting there, discussing various topics within small groups.

He spied Remus sitting next to Tonks, a worried look on his face before he noticed who had walked in through the hall door. The werewolf suddenly sat up straight, causing Tonks to turn a head in the same direction, their expressions switching between astonishment and happiness as they saw him standing there.

He smiled slightly at them, rolling his eyes as they nudged Bill and the headmistress before pointing him out. Within moments, the students had noticed something was amiss and had turned to see him there, their conversations dying mid-sentence as they saw the extent of his bandages and the raw-looking wound on his face.

Harry's smile faltered at the sudden attention, and a small glare sent to Remus caused the Marauder to shrink a little in his seat. But, true to form, Harry pulled his shoulders back, trying hard not to wince when his recently dislocated limb protested at the movement, and walked past the Hufflepuff's to the Gryffindor table, his eyes scanning down it's length until he recognised his friends sitting just under half way down.

Ron and Hermione sat facing him, proud smiles on their faces. Ginny had turned around from her seat next to Neville and had her lip held lightly between her teeth.

As he approached, Neville moved down the bench slightly, making room for Harry to sit between him and Ginny.

Harry hesitated once more before using Neville's shoulder as a support to step over the bench with his still slightly-shaky legs. As he sat he could hear conversations start up again behind him and heaved a not-so-subtle sigh of relief before relaxing his shoulders and looking around at his friends.

"Are you sure you should be here?" Hermione asked. Harry could hear the concern in her voice, but saw that her eyes were twinkling, pleased that their friend had returned to them.

Harry shrugged slightly with his good shoulder. "I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be." he replied truthfully.

"I'm assuming Pomfrey doesn't know you're here." Ron pointed out.

Harry shook his head. "Snape escorted me. He seemed happy to take her on should she get angry."

"And what about you?" Neville asked. "You were barely conscious when I looked in on you this morning."

Harry could sense most of the Gryffindors, and even some of the Hufflepuffs behind him, leaning in for the answer to his question.

"Things just started to make sense again." he said slowly, trying explain the truth without openly admitting that he had been trying to withdraw from his friends and that it had taken Snape's lifeline to snap him out of it.

"My mind became clearer. It was like I had acknowledged I was here, but suddenly _really_ _realised_ where I was." He looked to Ginny, gazing deep into her dark eyes. "Then I was reminded that time is precious. Who know's how long each of us has left?" he looked back to his friends around the table. "I'm not going to waste any more time than necessary staring at whitewashed walls and potion bottles."

Ginny suddenly grinned and grabbed at his arm. Unable to entwine her fingers with his she gently looped his arm around hers. "Well, I for one, am very happy to have you here with us." she said before she leant forward and gently kissed Harry on the lips.

Harry briefly responded before pulling away, conscious of all the pairs of eyes that were still looking at him and frustratingly felt his face turn slightly rosy.

His friends laughed at his embarrassment before getting on with their meals. Harry glanced down at his bandaged hands that were resting in his lap. Only Hermione seemed to sense his discomfort though and she leaned forward slightly. "Do you need some help?" she asked softly, nodding to where he had been looking.

Harry shrugged, but his eyes rested longingly on the food in front of him. "I can't even hold a fork." he admitted, keeping his hands hidden away. "Even if you cut up the food for me, I still wouldn't be able to feed myself. Probably not till the end of the week."

"I'll feed you." Ginny said, loading up her fork and lifting it to his mouth.

Harry just stared at her in disbelief until she became impatient and pushed the full fork load against his lips. Involuntarily, Harry opened his mouth and felt the food shovelled in. Moments later he felt Neville lean over with a small napkin, gently wiping it against the non-injured side of Harry's mouth as his friends laughed around him.

Chewing on the overly large mouthful, Harry only just managed to swallow without choking before joining in with his friend's laughter. He mentally thanked Snape as he looked around his friends, he needed this, and couldn't imagine what had possessed him to try to hide himself away from his true strength.

With a sudden dampening of mood, Harry suddenly remembered the horcrux that rested inside him. Sensing the shift within their friend, the Gryffindors stepped up their frivolity, each of them trying to tell Harry a different amusing story that had happened at the school whilst he had been away. Within a few moments Harry had to give in to their efforts, and was soon smiling away at their anecdotes.

As the meal ended, the small group of Gryffindors found themselves the last ones in the Hall, joined by the rest of the Gryffindor year seven boys and Luna from Ravenclaw.

"Are you coming back with us to the common room?" Seamus asked Harry as the group started to gather itself to move.

Harry shook his head, admittedly feeling rather drained after listening to story after story from his friends. "I'm pretty tired." he said. "And should really keep enough energy to face Madame Pomfrey. She has to change my dressings tonight and if you don't do what she says…"

His friends winced understandingly.

"You want us to walk back up with you?" Ron asked.

"That would be great." Harry replied. "I'm still a little wobbly on the stairs. Last thing I want is to be carried up by Fred and George again."

"You remember that?" Hermione asked, standing up next to her boyfriend and following Harry and Ginny along the table until they met at the end.

"Vaguely." Harry said with a frown. "I remember trying to compare which looked sillier, a six-foot seeker being levitated, or being carried by two six-foot beaters."

"Really?" Ron asked.

Harry laughed. "No." he said. "I don't remember a lot about that day to be honest." he sobered up a little. "Which is probably a good thing. It wasn't the most sensible thing to be doing so soon after... Well, just after."

"I wouldn't worry about it." Neville said. "We're kinda getting used to you doing silly things."

"Though if you could limit it to the Quidditch pitch or school grounds, it would make things a lot easier to find you." Ron added.

"How did you find me?" Harry asked, as they started up the first set of stairs to the Hospital wing. "I guess Snape must've made contact with you somehow. But how did you get past the wards?"

Ron glanced around the small group that was following Harry up the stairs. The Gryffindor seventh year boys had left to make their way towards the common room, leaving Neville, Luna and Ginny walking along with himself and Hermione.

"It wasn't Snape that sent us word, Harry." he said. "He later claimed it was because he was being watched around the clock. It was Wormtail that had a change of heart and sent us the portkey that got us past the wards. Said he owed you a life debt after you stopped Remus and Sirius from killing him that night in the Shrieking Shack."

Harry grunted as he made the last stair on that and started making his way slowly to the next stair case. His limbs were feeling stiff and achy, but he knew that the sensation was due to exhaustion and not the shock of hearing that the traitorous marauder, the man that had handed his best friends over to the man that killed them, had done something good.

"It doesn't change anything." he said, steeling himself for the effort of climbing the next stretch of stairs. "He probably thought that, if he didn't help me when he was able to and I died, then the magic behind the life-debt would come back to haunt him somehow. That man was a coward to the end."

Ron nodded. "Makes sense." he said. "He probably should've been sorted into Slytherin. He certainly wasn't a Ravenclaw and would've been a disgrace to Hufflepuffs…"

Harry looked at him. "There are some brave people in Slytherin." Harry said. "In fact, most of them hold a type of bravery that never goes acknowledged. Take those who parents are known Death Eaters for example, they must hold some sort of courage to walk through the school and hold their heads up high, knowing that they are not like their parents and shouldn't be labelled due to their inherited name."

Harry was pretty breathless after this, and he felt Neville take Ginny's place at his right elbow, and Ron at his left. He was sure they were getting ready to catch him should he pass out, and was now so tired his vision was becoming tunnel-visioned and he could only just make out Luna skipping two steps up and jumping one step back in front of them. He knew what he had been trying to say, but wasn't even sure if he was making any sort of sense anymore.

"I can't believe Snape let you out of bed." Ginny said with a shake of her head, concerned that little colour Harry had had in his face had now been stripped away, creating dark circles under his eyes and making the horrid scar across his face seem even darker and sore. "What good could come out of letting you downstairs so early?"

"Maybe he thought that the Derma Tophagoides would be good for him." Luna said from in front. "There have been several of them hiding under the house tables recently."

Harry shook his head. "He knew I needed to see you guys." He said, his tongue feeling thick in his mouth as if he had been drinking too much. "He knew I needed my friends."

"We would've been up to visit you straight after dinner, you prat." Ron said, steadying Harry's balance and then refusing to let go of his arm. "Couldn't you have waited until then?"

Harry shook his head. "Seemed the best thing to do at the time."

Hermione rushed ahead a couple of steps and pushed open the double doors that led into Madame Pomfrey's territory. Both Ron and Neville supported Harry down the ward and into Harry's private room at the end.

Like a well oiled team, the girls pulled across the curtains giving Harry some privacy as Ron and Neville helped him out of his robes and into the hospital-issue pyjamas. When Ron pushed back the curtain again, the three girls took over, pulling back the blankets on Harry's bed and helping him settle comfortably against the pillows before tucking him in.

Harry sighed in relief, letting the soft mattress absorb the aches and pains from his limbs as his eyes drooped closed.

"Sweet dreams." Ginny said softly, kissing Harry gently on the forehead as he quickly drifted away into a dreamless sleep, mentally reminding himself that he ought to learn his limits before sinking into a comfortable darkness.


	65. Rallying the Resistance

Chapter 65

A couple of days later found Harry still laid up in the small private room at the end of Hogwart's medical room. Even though he didn't speak much, refusing to even mention his ordeal at the manor, his friends had sensed that he craved company and had made sure he had a constant stream of visitors. Hermione had even set up a small work table in one corner of the room so that those who still had classes and upcoming exams were able to sit and keep Harry company whilst doing their revision.

It was mid-afternoon when Hermione suddenly exclaimed, closing up her revision books and hurriedly getting to her feet, gabbing her bag that had been hanging off the back of the chair. Ron also made a noise as he glanced at his watch, causing Harry to look up from the book of NEWT level transfiguration he had been leafing through to enquire why they were leaving in such a rush.

Hermione glanced at Ron, who shrugged.

"There's an Order meeting in the gathering room off of the Great Hall." she said. "It starts in about ten minutes. We're running a little late. I'm sorry we're running off a bit suddenly, Harry, but we'll be back straight after. Maybe we can run through some of those distraction charms that you were reading up on yesterday?"

"Hold up," Harry said with a cautious smile, lifting one of his bandaged hands to slow her down. "Order meeting? What's it about? Why didn't I know there was going to be one?"

Hermione winced slightly, realising her attempt to change the subject was a complete failure.

"Now that you're back some of the Order members are concerned that Voldemort might launch an attack on somewhere quite public like St. Mungos or here." she admitted. "This is just going to be a small meeting to go through any and all precautions we can make to prevent this…"

"…And?" Harry prompted when Hermione slowed and stopped speaking.

"The rest of the meeting will be about you and the last horcrux." Ron said, not noticing when Harry paled and froze when he mentioned both him and the horcrux together in the same sentence. "Snape told us that Nagini was a false lead, but has refused to tell us what the horcrux actually is. He keeps saying that it is something that only you will be able to explain. At the same time, he has also expressed his concern that Voldemort will be after you again, and we're going to make a decision today as to the best place to hide you until all this is over."

"Over?" Harry asked weakly.

"Don't you dare, Potter!" Hermione said, shaking her finger at him. "You promised us you would stay safe after that escapade in Hogsmeade. And after what actually happened I think you owe us at least this much. You need to stay safe and out the way. Especially if Voldemort is so determined to have you killed."

Harry shook his head. "He doesn't want me dead." he said. "Not any more."

"Why not?" Ron asked, placing a hand on Hermione's shoulder to encourage her to calm down and realise that this was the closest Harry had come over the past couple of days to explaining what had happened during his capture.

Harry shrugged slightly with his good shoulder. "Let's say that I have something he wants."

"The horcrux?" Hermione guessed.

Harry hesitated, then nodded, biting hard on his bottom lip to stop himself blurting out his secret. He used the following silence to pull back his bed sheets and swing his legs to the floor.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ron asked.

"To the meeting." Harry replied, reaching for his jumper that was hanging on the back of a nearby chair.

"No!" Hermione said, stepping forward and pushing a hand against his chest, causing Harry to topple back onto the bed and preventing him from standing up again. "You aren't well enough, Harry. That traipse to the hall a couple of days ago left you looking like death. You've been shivering constantly all morning and Pomfrey says your temperature was beginning to climb during her last examination. That suggests one or more of your wounds have become infected, Harry, which isn't surprising if you consider the conditions we found you in. You could get really ill if you don't look after yourself properly now."

"It's not like I'm going to run a marathon, Hermione." Harry said, pushing her hand away and leaning down to slip his sockless feet into his shoes. He tried to hide the head-rush and sudden feeling of dizziness as he sat back up. "Once we get to the meeting I promise to sit down the whole time and not to get involved. I just want to be kept updated with what's going on out there."

"We can update you when we get back later, mate." Ron said, stepping a little closer as Harry prepared to stand up. "We were planning on giving you and Ginny a full account of what was said anyway." He stepped forward and caught hold of Harry's elbow as the injured boy wavered slightly once he got to his feet. "Hermione's right, mate. You really don't look well enough to be doing this."

Harry just shook his head. "I'm going." he replied firmly.

Ron just shook his head to deter Hermione as he supported Harry through the door.

It took them several long minutes to get down the Great Hall. As they walked into it, Harry found the large room deserted and Hermione informed him that there was most of the students were in lessons or on a study period. It would be several hours before dinner and they had deemed this the best time to hold the meeting.

She led the way to the side room that Harry had been taken to after his name had been pulled out of the Goblet of Fire. He frowned when he realised how long ago that seemed, and quickly brushed the back of his sleeve across his slightly sweaty face, mindful of the tenderness of his new scar.

He wasn't well enough to be out of bed, Hermione had been right about that. He didn't know much about the infection that Pomfrey had hinted about, but he knew his knowledge of the where the horcrux was hidden was causing him to sleep badly, only allowing him to rest for short amounts of time before waking him with shakes and sweats. His exhaustion had caused his vulnerable mind to create a little voice that followed him around everywhere, constantly reminding him with a whisper of the deadly secret he carried and what the consequences would be if he couldn't deal with it.

Hermione started to speak at the door, but Ron shook his head again and she stayed quiet, choosing instead to push open the door and lead the three of them in.

Harry walked in to see the meeting room had been expanded to house a large number of people. The chairs were laid out in several rows, forming a large semi-circle facing the large, unlit fireplace where three chairs had been set out behind a long table. In the middle chair sat Kingsley, to his left sat McGonagall, and on his right sat an older wizard in plum coloured robes and moth-eaten comb-over toupee. Harry thought he vaguely recognised the man from the wizengamot court he had stood in front of when the dementors had attacked him and Dudley.

McGonagall frowned in concern when she saw Harry enter the room with his sickly pallor. She indicated with her head to the right where two chairs were placed next to Remus and Tonks and behind the rest of the Weasley brothers.

Ron picked up another empty chair as they made their way across the back of the room, and the three of them took their seats without a word, though Harry saw his friends from the Order turn around to greet him with varying looks of support or concern.

He looked around the room and took in the layout. The Order was there in it's entirety, taking up the right hand side of the room. Hagrid was sat on a bench with his back to the wall, and in the shadows next to him stood Snape. It seemed that several members of the wizengamot had turned up and were sitting on the left of the room at the front, with several other ministry officials sat amongst them. There were several Aurors sat behind them, their distinct scarlet robes contrasting with the deep reddish purple hue of the superior wizards in front of them. In the last two rows sat several mismatched magic-folk, who Harry could only assume were representatives of St. Mungos hospital and other large establishments within the wizarding world. No doubt there was a reporter or two hiding amongst them as well.

With a slight cough, Kingsley stood up behind his table, several sheets of parchment in front of him. The room fell silent, and Harry heard the scratching sound of someone writing the minutes of the meeting from somewhere at the front of the room, though he was unable to see over the heads of the people in front of him to see who it was.

"I'd first off like to thank you all for coming here today." Kingsley started in his low voice. "You have all showed your dedication and loyalty in various tests over the past few weeks, and have the right to be here to hear the truth about what threatens us, and to assist in coming to a conclusion with how to overcome it."

Harry glanced at Hermione and Ron and leant over to them. "I thought you said this was just a small Order meeting?" he asked.

"I was trying to keep you in bed." Hermione responded in a sharp whisper, leaning over Ron to speak with him. "Do you think we would've had a chance to keep you in bed if you knew this was happening?"

Harry saw her logic and lent back, trying to catch up with what Kingsley was saying.

The head of the ministry went on to explain to the room what Harry had told the Order a couple weeks before, about how Voldemort had split his soul into several pieces, using an old and little-known form of Dark Magic. He explained how Dumbledore had been searching for the horcruxes, with a mind to destroy them.

"When Dumbledore died, he passed his responsibilities onto Harry Potter, who has been involved with this from the beginning. I am now going to pass you onto his friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, who have been helping him with this since Dumbeldore's death."

Hermione and Ron got their feet, Hermione picking up her rucksack. She lent down as she walked past him and hissed "you will stay!" in a threatening tone.

Harry nodded complacently and she joined Ron walking up the middle aisle between the chairs until the made the front table. By this time several people outside the Order had noticed Harry, and he could see their confusion as to why he wasn't joining his friends at the front.

Much like the Order meeting where Harry and his friends presented the horcruxes, Hermione and Ron laid the treasures along the table, explaining briefly how Voldemort had chosen to create seven horcruxes, and how they had managed to locate and destroy five, the last being still inside Voldemort and the final one in an unknown location.

"Do we have any idea what the last horcrux is?" A witch in wizengamot robes asked.

"We had believed it to be the snake that Voldemort was so fond of." Ron said. "She has lived a long life, and we know he was able to possess her without any ill effects. For a long while we believed that he had pushed the boundaries of Dark Magic even further and created a living horcrux. Harry staged the presentation at Hogsmeade knowing that Voldemort would attempt to capture him. Whilst being held, Harry managed to destroy the snake, only to be told by Voldemort himself that she hadn't been the last horcrux."

"So do we have any ideas?" Another witch asked, this time from the rear of the room near Harry.

Kingsley stood up again, and Hermione and Ron took this as a sign to sit back down. They quickly gathered up their belongings and made their way to sit back down next to Harry.

"There are few of us who know what the last horcrux is." Kingsley assured the group. "And those people will be making the relevant plans to have it destroyed…" Harry felt his breath leave him. "… what is more concerning is that Voldemort is now aware of how close we are to finishing this. He will become desperate, and no doubt attack us as soon as he can before we can put any firm strategies to go on the offensive into place. It has been less than a week since we managed to get Potter back from where he has been hiding. That's more than enough time for him to gather himself and launch an attack."

He moved a couple of pieces of paper. "I've been doing risk assessments with my team to locate likely targets. He has already attacked Diagon Alley, and other than Gringott's, there is nothing of any value for him there. The goblins have assured me that they are more than capable of dealing with any attack from a wizard, even Voldemort, and declining any assistance. Whereas that may prove foolish on their part, it does allow us to place our limited resources at other places of risk.

"The ministry has already been hit. Voldemort has already made his point by causing mayhem and chaos amongst the people who should be leading the country. Though everything is slowly coming back into order, it will take time to establish a fully functional Ministry again. Most treasures and items of interest have been moved from the Department of Mysteries to various secret locations. There is no longer anything of any interest to Voldemort left at the ministry buildings. It is possible that he make take his time to find out where we have hidden various items, but that will take time, and I don't think Voldemort is prepared to have the patience to hunt out these places at this time. If we don't hear from him for a while, then we will consider it a possibility and make alternate arrangements.

"St. Mungos would be a prime target. Take away the largest medical establishment would not only cripple us in terms of dealing with any wounded, but will also prove just how ruthless he is. Voldemort is not the sort to go easy on anyone, and by attacking the medical institution may be his way of proving that to us. I am posting a large team of Aurors at the hospital, and, providing the staff are in agreement, propose the following: Visiting hours are to be restricted and limited to close family members only. Those who are able to leave and be treated at home are to do so, hopefully this will limit casualties should he attack. Staff are to be provided with emergency portkeys, designed by the Weasley twins, that will be activated in the event of attack. Staff are to be advised they are to save as many people as possible with these portkeys, but I do not want them trying to be heroes. I suspect that the skills of the staff at St. Mungos will be needed more after any battles than during, and they are to be kept as safe as possible.

"For a while my advisors and I thought that the offices of the Daily Prophet would be another likely target, but considering how much Voldemort like's his achievements to be advertised I don't think you'll have much risk at this time. Just as a precaution, I advise those who work there to also adorn the portkeys and make a sharp exit should the need arise.

"That leaves Hogwarts. Known to be the most secure place within the British Wizarding Society, it represents one of things that has constantly remained out of Voldemort's reach, both during his last terror reign and his current one. Since Dumbledore's death, I'm sure all of us has been holding their breath, waiting for the time when he comes to claim what he thinks is his. The building we are in now is the one we have to focus most of our resources on."

He took a breath and reached for a glass of water to freshen his mouth before turning to another, much larger, sheet of parchment. "McGonagall and her staff have already been working hard to strengthen the wards that surround the school. They were affected slightly by Dumbledore's death, but I have been assured by several people that they are back to, if not stronger than, their full strength.

"The faculty have also made initial arrangements to protect the students for the school. Ironically enough, most of these idea's came from the students themselves, and it makes sense to follow the advice of those who spend most of their time exploring the passageways and know the shortcuts and secrets of this school, rather than those wizened and often blinkered opinions of the adults that run it.

"Initial precautions in place involve taking the students into a secure room in the heart of the school. Prefects and older students have already been given the responsibility to ensure the students make it to this room, with people allocated to make role calls to identify any missing students, and others to stand look out just outside the entrance to the room. The routes to this room have several protection charms, traps and, if I should say, pranks provided by the students themselves to ensure any Death Eaters who manage to make their way into the school will have a very hard time getting access. If the worse comes to worse then, as a last resort, the older students are authorised to use portkeys to leave the school. After that they are on their own. Chances are if things get that bad, then not many of us older wizards will be around to lead them."

Harry felt Ron glance his way, and he had a funny feeling that this is where they were going to try to lock him away. No doubt they would leave him with the responsibility of when to order the students to leave, and then to lead them into hiding, waiting and training them until they were ready to initiate a counter-attack. He shook his head with a small smile, sensing Ron turn his head to him again. No doubt they hoped his "saving people thing" would pull on the responsibility he felt for the students and prevent him from running out into the battle, wand blazing as he tried to do his part.

"As far as we are aware, any floo access, magical cupboard or secret tunnel within the school has been neutralised, destroyed or permanently blocked. There is no risk of Death Eaters gaining entrance from behind. So whilst the students are looking after their own inside the castle, we can concentrate our efforts in the battle that will be coming from the grounds.

"I'm sure many of you noticed the increase of people on site as you walked to the meeting today. Many people are flocking to the school for safety. Even though the most ideal situation is to spread people out to avoid increasing the target risk, most have children that are students here and we can see the sense in keeping families together in such hard times. Every refuge seeker has been checked for dark marks and compulsion charms before being allowed entrance onto the grounds. The deal is that those who can fight will fight. Some have been allocated responsibilities under Madame Pomfrey dealing with those that become injured. Others will assist the older students in getting the younger ones to safety. We have set up somewhat of a nursery on one of the upper floors near the safe room so that the youngest children will not have to far to travel.

"We are also asking as many people as possible to rally together to help when the time comes. Should the wards around Hogwarts be breached, then these markers will heat up, with one spoken word the person holding it will be transported to the school grounds to assist with the battle. With all the horcruxes destroyed, we are no longer dealing with a immortal mage, but rather a strong wizard and his followers. We will be victorious providing we can pull together the numbers to fight against him. If we unite, we can beat him. Of this I am sure."

A round of applause, quickly escalating into cheers went around the room. Harry continued to sit quietly, his energy sapped from the slight infection that was burning around his body, and also from the part he knew he had to play within the Minister's plans.

When the noise had died down, Kingsley addressed the group. "Does anyone have any questions?"

"What happens if he attacks St. Mungos?" one of the medi-wizards asked after raising his arm. "Will we get the same amount of support as the school?"

Kingsley nodded. "All Aurors on duty will have similar alert beacons. They will alert several other members of the Dumbledore's own resistance group, the Order of the Phoenix. They can spread word to others and lend an immediate hand of support until the rest can assemble together enough people to finish it."

"But you don't think he's set his aims on the hospital?" the man asked again.

Kingsley shook his head. "He is ruthless enough, but we believe his heart, what remains of it, is set on the school."

"Why?"

"He was once a student here." McGonagall said. "He was denied a teaching post by Dumbledore a long time past, and swore that he would one day return."

"Is that it?" one of the Auror's asked. "For someone who has gathered as many followers as he has, surely he would be above such childish aims?"

Kingsley shook his head. "There is one other reason why he would want to head the school first." He lifted his gaze to the back of the room to where Harry was sitting, leaning forward on his elbows, straining to keep his mind focused on what was being said.

Once he felt the room's eyes on him, Harry sat up defensively, feeling Ron do the same next to him.

"He has marked Harry as his own twice now." Kingsley continued. "Whatever there is between the two of them, no doubt he will attempt once more to get to Harry and destroy him. It is no secret that he is becoming frustrated with his inability to kill Potter and so we will be making it public knowledge that Harry will be remaining safe within the walls of this school from now on. When Voldemort comes for him, we will be ready."

Harry noticed the minister had the grace to look apologetic as he admitted that they were once more going to be dangling Harry like bait in order to get Voldemort to do what they wanted. Harry just met his gaze levelly and nodded his ascent, knowing that the moment Voldemort stepped foot onto Hogwart's ground would be the moment he would have to kill himself.

"What about the final horcrux. Who's been assigned to destroy that?" Another Auror asked.

Kingsley glanced down at the parchment in front of him, shuffling the papers with the first indication of awkwardness he had shown through the whole meeting. Everything else had been decisive and authoritative, causing his obvious discomfort to become evident.

"It will be the Order's responsibility to destroy it." McGonagall said from her seat. "Minister Kingsley is not happy with letting the Order take control of something that can play such a vital part in the war, and as such has been trying to convince us to tell him what the horcrux is so he can arrange a team to destroy it."

"Why the Order?" someone else asked.

"Because it was three members of the Order that have hunted down and destroyed the rest of the horcruxes, and it is currently two members of the Order that know the identity and location of the final horcrux."

"Only two people know? Why not all of you? Surely the more people that aim to destroy the horcrux the more likely we will be to succeed?"

Harry was feeling decidedly sick as the room broke into several different discussions about how to destroy the horcrux and what to do with it once it was gone. After a vivid description from the twins in front of him of how they would destroy the horcrux, tie it to a pole and wave it in front of Voldemort as he advanced made Harry physically urge he tried to block out images of his decapitated head being paraded around in the blur of noise that was going on around him.

"Harry?"

He looked up to see the room looking at him. He sat up again, trying to get some colour to return to his face but he couldn't shake the image of his friends' being so willing to kill him in order to kill Voldemort.

He knew he looked like a scared rabbit caught in a torchlight as he looked around the room, but his attention was drawn to the front of the room as McGonagall spoke.

"They have a point, Mr Potter. If we all knew what the final horcrux was then we could plan now how to destroy it. It would make things run much smoother."

Harry froze, his eyes darting around the room and his stomach threatening to rebel again.

He shook his head "I can't tell you what the horcrux is." he said with a whisper. "It'll be up to me to destroy it. I can't let anyone else take the responsibility."

He watched his friend's faces stare at him in concern when he spoke with such a small voice. He knew it was out of character, but it suited the fact he was feeling decidedly out of sorts.

"You promised us you'd stay safe." Hermione said, moving to squat in front of him and take his hands. "You swore to us that you would stay hidden until all this is over. You are not to start taking this on as a solo effort again, you hear? Or I'll hex you now and keep you petrified until it's safe to let you free or when you start to understand how much you mean to us."

Harry stared in shock at Hermione, then behind her at all his other friends who clearly shared her thoughts. He nodded slowly. "Okay." he said, stopping her before she could rant again. "We'll compromise." he said.

He pushed himself to his feet, working hard to keep his balance until he felt Ron's hand firmly lodge itself under his elbow again. "It's not like you think." he said to the room. "If I could tell you about the seventh horcrux, then I would…" he glanced to his two closest friends "…and you and Ron would be the first I would tell, you've been through everything with me but…" he shook his head guilt and concern filling his chest. "I will promise you that I will not to get involved with any attack or battle Voldemort initiates. I promise to stay out of his way, no matter what he uses to bribe me out. But in return you all have to trust that I will be the one that has to take care of this horcrux." he glanced up to where Snape was leaning against the wall in the shadows. "And if it helps any, I'll ask Snape to assist me. At least then you'll know that I won't be working on this alone." he made eye contact with the ex-death eater, a desperate plea in his eye.

Feeling the gaze of the rest of the room turn to him, Snape nodded. "As you already know, I'm willing to help you to the best of my abilities, Potter." he said with a nod.

Harry heaved a sigh of relief before looking back at his friends.

"But how can we trust you, Harry." Ron asked softly, "When you have gone behind our backs so many times?"

Harry's face fell, and he let gravity take over exhaustion overtook his legs, and he fell back into his chair.

"He didn't mean it like that." Hermione quickly, dropping quickly to her knees in front of him again. She glanced over one shoulder, and Harry could see her wishing there weren't so many strangers in the room. "We're just worried what this horcrux is going to do to you." she said. "Past experience shows that killing a horcrux isn't going to be easy, especially since we haven't any Basilisk venom left. We just want to help you, take that pressure off you if we can?"

Harry shook his head. "Please, Hermione." he said. "You have to let me do this one alone."

Hermione searched his eyes, and looked shocked when she found something deep within them that tore at her heart. She nodded, understanding that whatever it was that Harry couldn't say was causing him great distress, and their insistence was not helping him.

She stood, turning to face the room. "I vote that Snape and Harry search and destroy the last Horcrux." she said clearly. "On the basis that they immediately ask someone for help should they need it."

Harry nodded, dropping his head into his hands again. Snape must have agreed the same as the meeting was soon adjourned and Harry was slowly led back through the Great Hall and back to the hospital wing where he was laid down and given a small dose of Dreamless Sleep to send him peacefully into the darkness once more.


	66. Goodbyes

_Big big thanks to wolfric, avidreaderinmo, reading-rider and kerigiti - you're reviews keep me going. Thanks. Kit. xx_

Chapter 66

Harry spent the next twenty-four hours fighting back fever as the infection from his wounds took hold. With Pomfrey's attentive care, his wounds were cleaned regularly and his body was well on the way to recovery by the time Ginny arrived for her afternoon visit the next day.

She came over to him with a happy smile, though Harry could only bring himself to half-heartedly hug her back, and turned his head when she tried to kiss him.

"What's up?" she asked, sitting on the side of his bed and taking his nearest hand in her own.

Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry." he said, "I'm just feeling a little out of sorts."

"Ron and Hermione told me about the meeting." she said cautiously, trying to gauge Harry's response. "They said that you still wouldn't tell them what the final horcrux is. You have them pretty worried. The staff as well. They sit up at the table talking in hushed voices during meal times. It's freaking all the other students out."

"How do you know it's me they're talking about?"

Ginny shrugged. "It's probably not just you. It's no secret that Voldemort is likely to be here within the next week or so. Everyone is just trying to find reason for it. Slytherins are spreading rumours that, if you weren't here, then he wouldn't come. Most people are ignoring them, but you can't help but see some people wondering about it."

Harry shook his head. "Voldemort would want to take Hogwarts whether I am here or not. This way he has added incentive to come quicker."

"But we're ready." Ginny confirmed with a nod. "Is it because he's going to be coming that you look so nervous and…?"

Harry looked at her. "And what?" he prompted when she didn't continue.

"Scared." Ginny replied with a whisper. "I don't think I've ever seen you look so scared before."

Harry sighed and took her hands, grateful that the swelling in his fingers had reduced enough for him to be able to move his digits again.

"I'm scared of losing the people I care about." he said, refusing to look at her. "I'm scared that you'll be hurt."

Ginny removed her hand and gently rested it against his face, directing it up to look at her. "You're not the only one who is scared of that." she said. "We are all scared of what's going to happen. But we know the potential consequences, and we're all still willing to fight. Just as you are."

Harry nodded, trying to make himself strong for his girlfriend. "Can we make a promise?" he asked. Ginny inclined her head slightly. "That if anything happens to one of us, that the other will make sure to stay strong and continue on with their life?"

Ginny frowned, "Harry, what are you…?"

"Promise me, Ginny." he said. "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost you. And I know you'd feel the same but I just want to know you'll be okay if Voldemort finds me."

Ginny shook her head. "Harry…?"

Harry reached up, placing a hand behind her head and entwining his fingers in her long, red hair. He pulled her head forward and crushed his lips against hers. It didn't take long for her to respond, and it was a long minute before the broke apart.

Ginny gasped with tears in her eyes when she saw Harry's expression. "I'm so sorry." he said, then winced and put his hand to his head as sudden pain lanced through his scar.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, though by her tone of voice Harry knew she suspected.

"He's here." Harry said, pushing back his blankets and turning to stand up.

The door to his private room flew open, revealing Hermione and Ron closely followed by Snape.

"It's time to go." Ron said, quickly helping Harry change his clothes.

Harry made no effort to respond after making eye contact with Snape and letting an understanding pass between them.

"I have somewhere to go first." he said. "I need to go pick something up."

"What?" Hermione asked.

"I need to go to McGonagall's office." he said, his eyes not leaving Snape's. "I'll need Gryffindor's sword to destroy the horcrux. It's the only thing that is guaranteed to kill it."

Snape nodded, and pointed to Hermione and Ron. "You, and you, are not to let him out of your sight. Do you understand? Do not leave him alone for one minute." He spared one last glance for Harry before turning and leaving the room. "I'll find you up by the Safe Room, Potter. You had better be there."

Harry nodded at his retreating figure, before turning to Hermione, Ron and Ginny. "Let's go." he said, leading the way out the room.

"You going to tell us what the horcrux is now?" Ron asked as they hurried through the corridors.

Harry shook his head. "I can't" he said. "It'll be bad enough once you find out what it is. I don't want to distract you with the news now."

"You scare me when you talk like that." Ginny said, half a step behind Harry. "Something isn't right with you, Harry. I wish you would just tell us what it is."

Harry just shook his head again, wishing that he didn't have to ignore his girlfriend but knowing he had no choice. Even if he did want to explain things now, it would take too long. He could feel the pressure building up in the scar in his forehead, and was mildly grateful that his new, enlarged lightning bolt across his cheek was not affected the same way.

"Harry…?"

"Please, Hermione. Not now. Everything will be explained when all this is over, and I'm sure you'll understand. You'll all hate me for it, but you will understand."

There was a loud noise from outside, and the four of them froze in the middle of the corridor, turning their heads to look as the windows shook with the repercussion of the blast.

"I think I'm scared." Ginny said in a small voice.

Harry reached out and took her hand, gripping it the best he could. "You would be foolish not to be." he said with a gulp.

He gently tugged on her hand and pulled her into walking down the corridor again. It wasn't long before they had made it to the entrance to the headmistress's office, and were granted entrance when Hermione whispered the password into the guard's ear.

As soon as they had climbed the stairs into the office, Harry headed for the glass case that held Gryffindor's final heirloom. He used a brass paperweight to break the glass surrounding it, and gripped the hilt as best he could with both hands.

"You want a hand with that?" Ron asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, Snape will help me when I see him next. Let's just get back to the Room of Requirement and make sure that everyone is safe."

"Will you be going in there?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, best I go with Snape first. We won't be leaving the school and I'm sure he'll make sure… well, I can't let him destroy it by himself."

"Well, whatever we do had better be quick." Ron said, pausing to look out the window. "It looks like chaos out there."

Hermione joined him and gasped with what she saw. Scores of wizards were appearing due to the portkey's they had been given to use when trouble arrived. They were amassing outside the main entrance to the school, though the four students knew that many more would be appearing around the back.

Coming up from the main gateway and the edge of the forest were several hundred figures dressed in black cloaks. Many wore the white ceramic masks over their faces, but there were a surprising number who had obviously chose to fight with Voldemort at the last moment.

Harry ran his hand over his scar as he noted the small group of giants in the distance that had bashed their way through the tall stone wall that surrounded the school. Even from this distance he could just feel the magical pulse that indicated the wards had been breached and destroyed.

"What do you think that is?" Ginny asked, leaning over Harry's shoulder and pointing into the distance.

Harry looked to where she pointed and saw what seemed to be a black cloud drifting towards them.

"Dementors." he said at the same time as Hermione.

They glanced at each other before turning away from the scene. The two forces hadn't clashed yet, but it was clear that it Voldemort's followers wouldn't take much longer than a couple of minutes to reach the front of the school.

The four of them used this knowledge as incentive to break into the fastest gait Harry could manage to get to the corridor that led to the Room of Requirement. He was out of breath and decidedly shaky when they turned the corner and came into sight of their destination.

Several members of the D.A. were standing around outside, and looked up when they saw the Gryffindor trio heading towards them with their friends.

"Everyone safe?" Hermione asked Seamus and Dean, who were standing there with several clipboards piled in their hands.

"Mostly." Dean said with a nod. "Susan and Luna are heading down with what we think are the last bunch from upstairs. They should be the last.

"Great, once they are in, seal the doors." Hermione said, turning as her name was called out from the end of the corridor.

The group turned to see Fred and George running towards them. George was carrying a young child who was crying and Fred was holding the hands of two others that were hurrying beside him as fast as their little legs would go.

"Some stupid parents have brought their children with them now." George said, passing the crying child off to Parvarti and bending over his knees to catch his breath. "McGonagall was asking if some of the seventh years could come down and help get them to safety. We're putting them in a room just off the main entrance, but we're going to need every last man who can fight out front."

There was another loud explosion, and the group ran to the window at the end of the corridor, looking out to see a large smoking crater in the grounds in front of the school, several coloured heaps of what looked suspiciously like bodies lying near it. Some of the onlookers stared in shock, whilst the others grimly set their jaw lines, seeing only the first of many that were likely to be killed by the end of the day.

Harry ground his teeth as he looked out over the grounds, irritated by the scar on his forehead and torn between rushing down there to help and complete the deed that had been left to him.

"Isn't there anything we can do to stop them coming any closer?" Ginny asked, leaning out the window to see if she could see any of her brothers down there.

Harry took a step back and breathed deep. "You could always stick my head to a post and wave it in front of him." Harry said, deliberately making eye contact with the twins as he spoke.

The group around him froze in shock at his words. There was not an element of jest in Harry's words and as he stared intently at the twins it took them several confused moments before George's eyes suddenly opened in realisation and he grabbed his brother's arm, keeping his eyes diverted from Harry's as he whispered urgently in his ear. Fred frowned as he listened to his brother, then his head jerked upright, staring straight at Harry with the question in his eyes.

Harry just gave him a half smile and the merest hint of a nod, then looked towards Ron and Hermione, who had their hands on their wands and seemed to be having a silent argument next to him.

"Go." Harry said to them, glancing to the twins again as he spoke and hoping that they picked up on his hints. "I can't get into any trouble as long as I don't go out there."

Hermione frowned, "But Snape told us not to let you out of his sight." she said firmly.

Dean just laughed. "What does he expect to happen in here?" he stepped forward slightly, allowing Luna, Susan and the last of those who would be fighting to pass in the corridor. "Snape's making it sound like Harry's on suicide watch. As long as he stays near the Room of Requirement he can get away long before anyone out there can get to him."

Harry glanced to the twins, and saw mirrored looks of concern in their eyes. _But what if the danger isn__'__t out there?_

Harry pleaded with them silently, and was grateful when the twins quickly worked out what he was asking of them.

"Well, we're going to head back down and have some fun. How many of you are happy to come down and get those kids?" Fred asked, stepping into the group and expertly commanding everyone's attention.

Neville immediately put his hand up and stepped forward, as did several other of the seventh year boys.

"Hermione? Ron? You coming?" George asked.

Hermione shook her head. "We promised…" she said.

"I promise to stay near until he comes." Harry interrupted. "He said he would meet me here." He turned to Ginny. "Why don't you go with them?" he asked.

Ginny looked momentarily shocked before frowning. "What?" she asked.

"I know you want to help." Harry said, taking her hand after leaning the point of the sword against the floor. "Just promise me you won't go outside, okay?"

Ginny looked deeply into his eyes, before hesitantly nodding. "If you're going to be okay?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "You wouldn't be able to come with Snape and myself." he said. "And I'd feel bad leaving you behind."

"We'll meet up later?" she asked.

Harry gulped. "If all goes well." he said, trying not to choke on his words.

"C'mon." George said, sensing Harry's difficulties. "We'd better get downstairs soon to help those kids." he stepped forward, pushing past Ginny to pull Harry into an embrace. "We understand." he said in a low voice, adding a quick "good luck, mate," as he backed away.

Harry nodded and repeated the action with Fred who shook his head as he gripped Harry. "Isn't there any other way?" he whispered before stepping back.

Harry looked down at the sword then back up. "Maybe." he said. "Snape has an idea…" his voice trailed off and Fred nodded when he saw that Harry was clearly didn't hold much hope.

"You're one of us." he said. "You know that right?"

Harry nodded with a smile, biting hard at the back of his bottom lip to stop the well of tears that threatened to appear in his eyes.

He looked to Hermione and pulled her into a hug, then repeated the action to Ron, who protested the action. After quickly shaking hands with Neville he turned to Ginny who was looking at him with her head on one side. "It's like you're saying goodbye." she said.

Fred just laughed and grabbed her from behind. "Just say goodbye Gin-Gin. We'll see him on the return trip."

Harry was glad that he didn't have to say the lie, and pulled his girlfriend into a tight embrace, whispering how much he loved her into her hair before releasing her.

"Go." he said to the group. "You have things to do. I have things to do. And they aren't going to get done standing around here."

He watched the group walk away, each one of them looking uncertainly over their shoulder.

"You were lying." Harry heard a small voice say next to him. He continued to watch his closest friends walk away before nodding to Luna.

"I've been lying." he admitted quietly when everyone else had walked away and left them. .

"You aren't expecting to live."

Harry turned to the girl next to him. Luna had a strange way of perceiving the truth and he didn't see any use in denying her statement.

"Will you look after them for me?" Harry asked. "The twins have guessed, and Snape knows. But no one else."

Luna nodded. "They're my friends." she said with a small smile. "I'll always be there, and so will you. Those we love are never far away."

Harry suddenly felt the tears come and swiped at them with one bandaged hand. "If you see Snape can you tell him…?"

"…Astronomy tower?" Luna asked. "Of course I will."

Harry frowned, half wanting to ask how she knew, but instead reached out and accepted her embrace. "Thanks." he said simply, before gripping the sword more securely with both hands and walking in the opposite direction from his friends, hesitating near the open doorway to the Room of Requirement before making his way to the stairs that led upwards.


	67. The battle commences

_I hope you folks are ready for this... I've been in tears several evening in a row now whilst writing and rewriting this. There have been many alternative finishes to this story, but as I started writing, still with no idea which plot to follow, things just started to fit. I'm hoping that what I written suits you all. Everything is now finished apart from the epilogue, so I'm hoping to post chapters regularly throughout this week. I would post it all in one go... but allow me a little license to make sure everything is the way I want it. _

_Thanks again for sticking with me so far and especially to those who review. I hope you enjoy the finale. Kit. xx_

Chapter 67

Snape ran from the potions lab and sprinted upwards, taking the shallow stone stairs three at a time with his long legs as he gripped his precious cargo.

As he reached the main entrance he stopped short, finding it full of people that were milling in and around the great hall, filling the room with loud and partially panicked voices. Many were carrying or assisting wounded friends into the great hall where medical aid workers were waiting.

He started pushing through the crowd, then hesitated when he saw Ron pass him in the other direction. Without a second thought he reached out and grabbed the Weasley's arm roughly.

"Where is he?" he hissed, looking around expecting to see the Potter boy heading for the front entrance doors, wand held between his bandaged fingers.

"We left him upstairs." Ron said, yanking his arm away from him. "There are a load of kids being held in the room off the entrance. Their parents port keyed with them right into the middle of battle and McGonagall asked some of us to come down to collect them before the battle gets too close."

"And Potter didn't come?"

Ron shook his head. "He promised us he would wait for you." he said. "Something has got him spooked, so much so we believed him. I don't think I've ever seen him this upset but he insisted we come help." he frowned. "What aren't you telling us?" he asked, raising his wand and pointing it at Snape.

"You fools, do you have any idea what you've done?" Snape pulled out his own wand, returning a defensive stance against the Weasley.

"What's going on here?" Remus asked, stepping between Ron and Snape and leveling them both with a sharp look.

Snape hesitated, looking between Remus and Ron. With a split decision he pulled Remus aside, out of earshot from the younger lad and whispered in his ear.

"The horcrux…" he stated.

Remus looked at him. "You've destroyed it?" he asked eagerly.

Snape shook his head. "It isn't as easy as that." he said. "The horcrux was created the night Voldemort killed Potter and Lily. That night _He_ managed to create a _living horcrux_."

"What's your point, Severus? Can you destroy it or not?"

Snape sighed. "It's Harry." he said quietly, knowing no one else could hear them over the noise in the room. "The horcrux was placed in him the moment the bastard killed Lily. The scar on his head is the sign. The link between them is because of the fragment of Voldemort's soul Harry holds inside him. The "power" the Dark Lord doesn't know about? Only Harry has the power to make him immortal again, thus bringing about his demise. His love for you will be the end of Voldemort."

Remus felt as if he couldn't breathe. "What does this mean?"

"It means the foolish boy is going to give his life for all of yours." Snape said. "_He is the last horcrux_."

Remus felt as if he had just been kicked in the chest by a dragon. "What?"

"The reason he has been so silent and upset recently? It is because he knows he has to die." Snape said with frustration. He glanced to where Ron was standing still staring at them, now accompanied by Hermione and a number of younger children. He indicated to them with one hand. "I told them to not leave him alone… so he wouldn't be tempted to do anything foolish. But they did."

Remus started looking around. "We have to find him." he said, waving a hand and getting the attention of Tonks, who started making her way over.

Snape shook his head. "No. _I_ need to find him. You need to make sure his friends stay away." he said, indicating Ginny who had just lifted up a toddler and was standing in between Fred and George, both of whom were looking unnaturally serious.

"Do you think you can stop him?" Remus asked.

Snape looked at him. "If I do, we all die." he said, indicating the battle going on outside the doors.

Remus shook his head in disbelief. "But…"

"Lupin…. Remus. Please believe me when I say that I have thought through every possibility." Snape said. "I have come up with only one option."

Remus looked to him, hope shining in his amber eyes, but the feeling soon passed when he saw the cold look in Snape's dark eyes. "But you don't hold much hope?" he asked cautiously.

Snape shook his head. "He still needs to die." he said. "But if I can bring him back…?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"I need you to trust me." Snape said, staring sincerely into the werewolf's eyes. "If you look to trust me, the others will follow. If anyone makes me leave Harry's side, then you are signing his death warrant."

Tonks came up beside them and looped her hand around Remus' arm. "Is everything okay?" she asked, looking to Snape.

Snape looked to the werewolf. "Far from it." he said without taking his eyes away from Lupin. "You will need to stay here. To be ready for when it's destroyed. From what Harry has told me about the previous horcruxes you should know when that will be. You need to make sure to launch the attack as soon as it's gone."

Remus nodded sadly, accepting this new knowledge reluctantly. "Just do what you can." he asked. "And tell him we love him."

Snape nodded. "I think he knows." he said with a small smile. "He's doing this to save all of you, remember?" And with one last look at Hermione, Ron and Ginny, started his long sprint up the stairs.

Remus watched his school-boy nemesis leave, his clock billowing behind him, wishing that he could follow with some alternative solution to what needed to happen.

"What was all that about?" Tonks asked, placing her hand in her partner's and squeezing it gently.

"Harry…" Remus started, turning to her before stopping himself when he saw Ron, Hermione and Ginny had walked over to them and were now within ear shot.

"What about Harry?" Ginny asked. "Would someone please tell us what is going on?"

Remus took a deep breath, steeling himself before a large explosion outside caused many people to duck to the floor, clouds filled with dust and debris falling from the ceiling.

"Outside!" the shout went up. "Everyone who is able to fight needs to be outside now!"

There was a general rush for the door, but the small group stood their ground.

"You should get back upstairs." Remus said to the young adults. "Before your parents find out that you're down here."

Ron looked to Ginny who rolled her eyes slightly before nodding. "I can take them back up." she said, indicating the small group of ten children that were standing with Neville. "The rest of you can go out and help." she looked to Remus. "I'll go stay with Harry." she added, carefully watching for a response.

Remus didn't supply her with one, just looked to the others and nodded. "I know you can probably fight better than many of those already out there." he said. "Just be careful."

Ron and Hermione nodded and ran off to let Neville and the other seventh year boys who had ventured down know that they had the choice. Ginny gathered up the ten small children, carrying the youngest, and started up the doorway. Remus and Tonks met up with Fred and George who were waiting for them near the door.

"You letting them out?" Fred asked Remus when he spotted his youngest brother and his friends gearing up, preparing to leave the safety of the school walls.

Remus nodded. "It'll distract them from… other things." he said.

Both the twins frowned slightly. "Right," George said, after a glance to his brother. "Well, we shouldn't delay any further." He indicated that the other members of the D.A should follow them and stepped out through the door, running down the stone steps towards the line of wizards that were defending the school.

Before them, the grounds of the school were littered with duelling wizards. Bright flashes of colour and the constant noise of shouting swallowed them as they worked out the best place to launch their attack.

"Isn't that Percy?" Ron asked, shouting over the noise to get his brother's attention.

Fred and George followed his finger to see their elder brother hurling curses alongside Charlie. They quickly made their way over, keeping an eye out for stray curses that may fly unchecked over the defending line.

"Percy!" the twins exclaimed, jumping on their brother's back and causing him to shout out with brief shock. "What are you doing here?"

Percy glanced over his shoulder to the battle before looking sheepish and greeting his brothers. "You were right." he said. "I just couldn't see it. Maybe I just didn't want to see it. I was so sure that what I knew must be right, I refused to listen to the other side of the argument."

"So you saw sense." Ron stated with a small smile.

Percy nodded. "And owe you all an apology." he added. "Especially mother." he ducked as Charlie pushed him out of the way of a stray spark of colour. "Though maybe it can wait until after?"

The brothers all nodded, sharing a brief family moment, before lining up beside one another, with Hermione and Neville standing at the end, and aimed their wands over the ongoing battle. Moments later they were joined by their eldest brother, Bill, and his wife, who briefly greeted Percy before adding their own magic to the fight.

They fought as a group for several minutes, watching out for each other's safety as spells sent high and long by the Death Eaters started drifting steadily closer as the attackers slowly neared the school, pushing the front line duellers back to the defensive line.

"Hey!" Ron shouted as Neville suddenly started running forward, ignoring his friends shouts and warnings as he headed between the front defence line and directly into the fight.

"What is he after?" Bill asked, squinting in the late afternoon sunlight in the direction the Gryffindor had headed in.

"Bellatrix!" Hermione said, finally seeing what he wanted. "She was the one who put his parents in St. Mungos. He'll be killed."

"Not if we help him." Ron said, running after his friend, closely followed by all his brothers and Hermione.

They fought their way through the crowd and increasing number of one-on-one duels, occasionally firing off a curse to help one of their own as they passed.

"Neville!" Hermione shouted as they got closer, but the foolishly brave Gryffindor was already struggling to hold his own against the experienced Death Eater who was standing inside a wide circle created from bodies of people she had already killed.

Hermione's shout alerted Voldemort's trusted follower to their advance and she fired off a scorching yellow curse, sweeping her arm in a wide arc in an attempt to hit as many of them as possible.

Most of the group fell to the floor, burying their heads beneath their arms in attempt to hide underneath the unknown curse that passed above their heads.

Charlie wasn't so lucky. He had thrown up a strong shield that the curse passed straight through, sending him flying backwards, twisting in mid-air until he landed several feet away, his face and body smashing into the ground and sliding across the ground until he came to a crumpled halt.

"No!" Percy shouted, scrambling to his feet and running in a low crouch to where his brother lay unmoving.

Bellatrix swung her wand arm again, laughing freely at the brothers' anguish before a sharp sting to the back of her right hand caused her to stop and turn to see where Neville had fired a stinging hex at her.

"You think you can beat me, Longbottom?" she screamed. "I should've killed when you when you were a child, but it was so much more fun to destroy your life!"

Neville frowned in anger, staring into Lestrange's wild eyes before a large number of spells hit her in the side, causing her to fall to the ground with a small cry and a thump, wand falling from her limp fingers.

"Thanks." Neville said, walking over to examine the unconscious witch with the others.

"That's what friends are for," George said, as Bill stuck his boot under Lestrange's side and flipped her over.

The others took a step back in shock, Hermione placing her hand over her mouth as they stared into her wide, unstaring eyes.

"Is she…?"

Bill kicked her wand away before kneeling down, placing his hand against her neck to try and feel for a pulse.

"I guess the combination of spells were too much." he said unemotionally.

He stood up and looked across to where Percy and Fred were helping Charlie to stand. "You alright?" he asked his brother.

Charlie carefully felt his face where the skin had been grazed off by his impact with the floor. "Should be fine." he said gruffly. He looked over to where the battle was still going strong.

Hermione knelt down and picked up the dead witch's wand. "Here." she said, handing it to Neville. "I think you should have the pleasure."

Neville just looked at the wand for a moment, before taking it with both hands and snapping it, throwing it on top of the dead witch before turning his back on her.

"You alright?" Ron asked, coming to stand near his friend.

Neville nodded. "I just expected to feel more." he said. "Happy. Relieved. I'm not sure what I expected, but I know I expected to feel something."

Ron nodded. "Fancy getting your own back on some of the others?" he said, indicating the other duels with a small smile.

Neville nodded at his friend, and followed the group of red-haired Weasley's with Hermione as they headed back into the battle.


	68. Voldemort

Chapter 68:

Remus was not too far away from the Weasley family when they killed Lestrange. He was fighting back-to-back with Tonks, applying the use of their experience and skills near the front line of attack and letting weaker or lesser-skilled wizards stand in the relative safety of the defensive line.

They were surrounded by an incessant supply of Death Eaters, and he had fallen into a rhythm of felling one adversary before focusing on another that seemed to rise up out of nowhere to replace the prior wizard.

From experience, he knew that falling into such a endless cycle was dulling his senses, but after what seemed like endless hours of exchanging curses Remus was beginning to feel the fatigue a lifetime of werewolf transformations had brought on him. His shields were rapidly becoming weaker and his responses slower. His mind, falling into the repetitive motion of block and attack, started thinking about Harry and the task the poor boy had before him, and of any other way to achieve the end without losing the son of his closest friends whom he had grown so close to.

Later he supposed this distraction was why he failed to hear the low growl and pounding footsteps before he felt a heavy force hit him from the side, forcing him solidly into the floor and the sharp sensation of several teeth embedding themselves into his neck.

He struggled madly against the grip his attacker had on him, feeling large, claw shaped nails pulling skin from his side in thick scratches.

He reached up with both hands, placing one against the large forehead of his attacker, and the other grabbing the man's jaw and attempting to pull the man's mouth away from his neck.

A bright flash of light caused his assailant to loosen his grip and Remus was able to pull free, using his lighter form to slide from beneath the wizard he now recognised to be Fenrir Greyback. He took a deep breath as he scooted backwards, reaching a hand up to feel the blood streaming from his neck.

Remus pulled his hand away to find it covered in deep red blood, but after a quick assessment he knew that the wound was superficial and not life threatening.

He looked back to Greyback to find the man had shaken of the effects of the stunner, and had returned himself to a crouch, his gaze now set on Tonks who was backing away from the angered werewolf, her wand still raised after saving her partner.

With a growl Remus crouched, allowing the instincts of the werewolf that coursed through his veins to release themselves with a cry before crouching and tackling the man that had changed his life.

He lept through the air, tackling the larger man to the floor, using his hands, knees, elbows and shoulders to inflict as much damage as possible.

It was more of a lucky strike than skill or strength that finally overcame the werewolf that had changed Remus' life. Remus had been pushed to one side by Fenrir, and as the larger man tried to gain his balance and push himself to his feet, Remus lashed out with one of his legs, catching Fenrir on the side of his neck with the heel of his boot.

The darker werewolf fell onto his back, making a strange gurgling noise as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Within moments, Tonks had thrown a spell at him, binding his chest securely with thick ropes. She then made her way over to Remus, kneeling beside him and wrapping her arms around him.

Remus was physically shaking, working hard to control the primal urges that was running through him. He had spent his whole life controlling his temper, only allowing the wolf out at the full-moon when it was too strong for him to contain any longer, but in the space of a several short minutes, he had let the animal take control.

He sensed other people fighting around him. Questions were asked and the person who was holding him so reassuringly answered softly. It took even longer for him to realise that the voice that had answered had never stopped speaking, and was now whispering into his ear, bringing him back from the dark place he had found himself.

He looked up to see the concerned eyes of Tonks smiling supportively. "Welcome back." she said with a smile once she saw he recognised her.

Remus shook his head slightly. "Oh my…" he exclaimed, seeing the blood covered body lying on the floor a short distance away from him. "Did I…?"

Tonks shook her head. "No." she said. "He'll live. Might ache in a few places, but that's not such a bad thing."

Remus looked to her. "I'm so sorry." he said. "I don't know what… I couldn't…"

Tonks lifted a hand and placed one finger against his lips. "Sometimes I think I understand you more than you understand yourself." she said. "And I'm flattered that you and your "furry little problem" loved me enough to want to defend me that badly."

Remus reached up with his own blood-soaked hand and gently took his fingers.

" 'Dora Tonks, will you call me a fool if I asked you a question I should've asked a long time ago?"

Tonks frowned with curiosity, but Remus could see her eyes begin to smile and a small rosy glow appear in her cheeks.

"Marry me?" he asked.

Tonks quickly looked about at the battle scene around them. "Now?" she asked mischievously.

Remus shook his head. "As soon as we can." he said. "I've been a fool to think that I'd be doing us both a favour if I was to put this off. I love you. I hope you love me. What else matters?"

Tonks nodded. "Of course I will." she said, leaning in to kiss her future husband, ignorant of the blood and dirt that was covering his face and still soaking into his robes.

"He's here!"

The shout went up around the crowd, spreading through both sides of the battle and causing Remus to pull back from his kiss to work out what everyone was looking at.

He was pulled to his feet by Bill Weasley, who indicated towards the main path that led up from the gates.

Standing motionlessly on the paved walkway was Voldemort. He stood, tall and imposing in a long black cloak, the hood of which was worn up but there was no denying the dark wizard's identity. His featureless face glowed freakishly from within the shadows, pale white skin was stretched tightly across his face, now marred even further by three parallel scars running along one cheek.

His presence caused a shiver of dread and fear to run through Remus' body, and he could sense others feeling the same.

"What is he doing?" Charlie asked, walking up with Ron, Hermione and the rest of his brothers to join the group standing by the unconscious body of Fenrir.

"Not a lot." Fred replied.

"He seems to be looking at the school." Hermione said, turning around to see the grand castle standing so valiantly behind them.

"You think he's making it clear he's come for the school?" Percy asked. "Maybe he's trying to make us think we mean nothing to him."

"No." Bill said, shielding his eyes and squinting up at the school building. The battle had slowed to a stop around them, everyone holding their breath to see what would happen next. "He seems to be looking up at the towers. I think there's something at the top of the astronomy tower."

Remus pushed in between the eldest brother and his wife, also covering his eyes against the late-afternoon sunlight. "It's Harry." he said, his voice laced with dread.

The group around him exclaimed and tried to see what he could. "You can see him?" Ron asked.

Remus shook his head. The group could see something or someone standing against the stone parapet that circled the top of the astronomy tower, but the angle of the school and the height of the wall prevented them from identifying that person.

"Then how do you know it's him?" Hermione asked.

Remus turned back to see Voldemort frown slightly in concentration, his gaze not leaving that of the ledge on which Harry stood.

"He's going to destroy the last horcrux." he said, his voice breaking slightly. "And he's going to make sure Voldemort knows it has gone."

"You know about the horcrux?" George asked. Something in his voice made Remus look at him and his brother.

Remus nodded. "Snape told me." he said. "Let me know what to watch out for so we know when Voldemort is mortal again. You know too?"

Fred glanced at George, then at Ron and Hermione who were staring at them with hurt and betrayal in their eyes. "We kinda guessed." he said apologetically to their youngest brother and his girlfriend.

"He made it clear that we were to keep you two and Ginny safe and out of his way…"

"Not that we blame him." Fred said. "He's braver than I could ever be…"

George nodded. "I'd probably just go into hiding. Wait for someone else to work it out and do the deed…"

"…but there was this look in his eyes. His mind was set…"

"What do you mean by brave?" Hermione interrupted with confusion. "What deed?"

Remus came to stand near her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Harry _is _the last horcrux." he said. "Voldemort may have meant to place it in the snake when he killed James and Lily, but in the confusion that night he accidentally put part of his soul into Harry instead."

Hermione staggered slightly as she took in Remus' words, and Neville had to support her as she gasped in a breath. Ron wasn't looking much better, and Percy took up position next to him for support.

"But.. he can't be." Ron said, shaking his head. "That would mean that he…" His voice tapered off and his eyes opened wide, his pupils dilating with shock as he realised what Harry was intending to do.

"You sure of this?" Moody asked. When Voldemort had arrived and the fighting had stopped, he had made his way with Kingsley and some others to regroup and find out what was going on. "Potter has the horcrux inside him?"

Remus nodded. "Snape told me. He must've been there when Voldemort told Harry."

Moody nodded. "It makes sense." he said in his gruff voice. "That connection the kid had…"

The group fell silent. Some watched the motionless dark wizard who stood almost trance like in the crowd of muttering Death Eaters that had grouped themselves around him, but most gazed at the shadowy figure standing against the darkening sky above them.

"Surely there must be some…" Hermione started towards the main entrance of the school, then stopped, forcing her fingers into her thick hair and pulling hard on their roots and falling to her knee's with a loud cry of frustration.

Ron broke out of his trance, and shrugging out of Percy's grasp fell to his knee's next to her.

"The idiot." Hermione was saying between sobs as Ron took her into his arms. "He never told us. We could've helped. He never told us."

Ron looked up to Remus and the twins. "Is he up there alone?" he asked, his own eyes thick with tears.

The twins glanced at each other. "Not for long." Bill said with a snarl, and he started running for the main entrance, his wand in his hand, Charlie and Percy following closely behind him.

Neville hesitated, before glancing to Hermione and Ron. "No one deserves to die alone. Especially not Harry." he said, before chasing after them.

"He said he was going to wait for Snape." Fred said, watching the four of them sprint across the grounds and up the main entrance steps, rudely pushing people out the way. "There might be a way…"

"…But he didn't look hopeful." George added.

"Snape told me that Harry would have to die to destroy the horcrux." Remus said with a nod. "But hinted that there may be a way to bring him back." He looked to Tonks. "Can you go with them, make sure they don't get in Snape's way? There isn't much hope but if they stop Snape…"

Tonks nodded, and with a quick kiss on the side of his face started sprinting into the school herself.

"And what do we do?" Fred asked, staring up at the unmoving figure above them.

Remus clutched his wand in his hand and looked down at Hermione and Ron. "We wait." he said with a firm voice, turning towards where the Voldemort stood, silent and dark. "And when the time comes, we don't let Harry down."


	69. The End I

_Sorry, taken a bit longer than I would have liked, but who am I to ignore the British Summer when she shows her elusive face!!! Hope this chapter meets expectations... Kit. xx_

Chapter 69:

Harry stood far above the school, his eyes gazing at the battle below him. He watched without emotion as a crowd of red-heads fought in a tight group and he imagined he could see Remus, Tonks and his other friends fighting their own fights, though it was hard to know it was them in the rapidly diminishing light and from so far up.

His right hand was clutched tightly around the hilt of Gryffindor's sword as it lay on the stone wall in front of him. It's silver blade shone in the oncoming darkness and the rubies studded around the base of the blade glowed with anticipation as if they knew that they would experience the taste of blood again before night fell.

Harry sensed the approach of Voldemort up the hill towards the school, and looked up from underneath his bangs to make eye contact with the dark wizard. Even though there was a great distance between them, there was no question that the red eyes of the snake-like man were staring straight at him.

"Are you really going to jump, Harry?" the unnaturally high voice said in his mind.

Harry didn't even flinch when he heard the voice, his scar flaring with pain as the dark lord made use of their connection again. It sounded as if Voldemort had been standing directly behind him, though Harry could clearly see him down below.

Harry remained motionless, watching the tell-tale red hair of his friends gather together as the battles around them slowed and stopped. It was now a waiting game, a stalemate situation, and Harry could see no alternative way to finish. It was his move.

"Do I really have much of a choice?" Harry said, finding it easier to speak the words out loud, though somehow knowing that Voldemort would be able to hear every single word as he continued.

"If I don't jump then I'll have to spend my life as a comatose corpse. Your own private treasure. Even if I should manage to escape, I'd have to spend the rest of my life on the run, and not just from you. People will come to realise what is needed to finish you, and they will be after my blood. Meantime, you will dedicate your life to destroying the lives of people I care about, and killing masses of people I don't even know. You wouldn't let a day go by without giving me a reminder that all the lives you take could have been saved, if only I had jumped."

"And what about those you leave behind?" Voldemort asked through their connection. "Dumbledore always swore that your greatest ability was to love, and to be loved in return. How would they feel about your cowardly act? Escaping when the going got too hard for you to cope? Abandoning them to fight the battles you leave behind? Don't you wonder how their impressions of you will change?"

Harry laughed out loud, though his mirth didn't reach his eyes. He watched as several bodies broke off from the gathering crowd and sprinted to the door at the base of the tower, but he knew they would never reach him in time.

"Here I am, standing on the edge of a steep drop, and they send my greatest enemy to talk me out of suicide?"

"You'd never hit the ground, Harry." Voldemort said. Harry hoped that he could hear the concern in his voice, that the slight increase in pitch wasn't just his imagination. "You are worth too much for me to let that happen."

Harry raised his chin an inch, taking a deep breath and steeling himself to task, gripping the sword even firmer with both hands and twisting the blade so that the point of the long silver blade was pressing against the base of his chest.

"I know." he accepted with a whisper, taking a couple of short, sharp breaths before jerking his arms and sending the sword firmly into the soft tissue beneath his chest bone.

The sudden wave of pain made him cough and moan out loud with shock, sending him staggering away from the parapet and onto his knees. With sheer determination he adjusted his grip on the sword, pushing the silver blade further into his chest as blood began to run freely, pooling around the rubies set into it's handle.

"Potter!"

Snape rushed through the door that led down into the school, he was gasping for breath and there was a sheen of sweat across his forehead from his race up the stairs. Without pausing to catch his breath he rushed across the tower roof, falling to his knee's next to Harry and gently lowering the injured boy, helping him turn so that he was lying on his back, the sword still protruding from his torso.

Harry coughed again, causing a thin stream of blood to run from the side of his mouth. His eyes opened and he stared deeply into Snape's concerned gaze.

"I have to die." he said breathlessly, the look in his eyes warning the older wizard not to try to save him.

Snape shook his head in disbelief. "I know that, you fool." he said, though knowing his voice held no venom. "But I told you to wait." He looked down to where the sword was embedded into Harry's chest. "You haven't made this easy, Potter. There would have been a hundred other places I would have suggested…"

"Maybe it's for the best." Harry interrupted weakly.

"…But I'm still going to try." Snape finished sincerely.

Harry stared up at him with his green eyes, and Snape's breath caught as an image of a young Lily Evans flashed to the forefront of his memory.

"It isn't your time to go yet." Snape said, surprised that he actually believed in the words that he spoke.

Harry let his head fall back and his gaze wandered up to the sky above, where the first stars were beginning to appear between the sea of clouds. His body began to shiver and he felt something warm and wet flow down the side of his face from his eye before Snape pulled him closer, leaning the boy against his knees and silently reminding him that he wasn't alone on this journey. A brief moment later, Harry felt a warmth around his neck as Snape placed his fingers on his pulse, monitoring the exact moment when Harry's life would end.

"I have to try." Snape said again when Harry looked at him with a question in his eye. "Breathe with me, Harry."

Harry heard the former Death Eater begin to count, his voice low and calm, each number carefully metered. Harry let his eyes return to the sky.

His shaking soon stopped and his body was growing numb as the blood flowed from his wound and onto the stonework below him. Without realising it, his breaths had fallen into Snape's steady rhythm, each breath becoming lighter and shorter until his chest failed to rise. With the briefest moment of fear, Harry felt the last of this life blood leave his body. Then, with an acceptance and strange internal awareness he felt his heart flutter twice more before it stopped completely.


	70. The End II

Chapter 70:

Snape watched as Harry's eyes widened in a brief moment of fear before they lost their focus. The boy's weight increased as his muscles relaxed and Snape counted two more heart beats before the heart failed completely.

He gulped slightly, but continued to count, now pacing himself through the twenties as he removed his hand from Harry's neck and reached up to remove the boy's glasses and gently hide away the now lifeless emerald orbs that had once reminded him of his lost love.

When he reached twenty-five he felt the body in his lap jerk against him. The air around them filled with a unearthly scream that seemed to be originate from Harry, though it was clear that the body of the boy-who-lived was unable to produce such a noise.

Even though he wanted to do nothing more than to escape the torturous sound, Snape lent forward, continuing to speak his counts into Harry's ear.

The scream continued until Snape had reached mid-thirties, and if the potion's master had looked up, he would have seen a dark cloud gathering above them. But the remainder of the horcrux floating without form above them was completely ignored as Snape focused his attention on the body of the young man before him. He uncorked the vial with his teeth between counts, supporting the back of the Harry's head with his other hand as he reached the count of forty.

He closed his eyes firmly, still counting aloud but mentally weighed up whether he had left enough time to ensure that the horcrux had been destroyed, or too long resulting in Harry going to a place that was unreachable.

With a sudden decision he opened his eyes, still counting with a calmness that he did not feel, and poured the potion into Harry's mouth. He threw the vial away, quickly clamping the boy's mouth closed so that none of the potion could escape, and gently massaged the throat so that the viscous liquid would pool down into the body.

Finally, when he knew he could do no more, he raised he gaze to the sky and prayed.

/////////////

Far below the tower, in the grounds of Hogwarts, the group that were watching with growing concern for their friend were startled when Voldemort let out a scream of frustration and started striding towards the building.

"Is it time?" Ron asked, a vengeful fire in his eyes and wand in his hand.

"Not yet." Hermione said. She pulled herself to her feet, wiping the tears from her face. She had also taken on a look of determination as she looked up to the tower. "The other horcruxes let off a black smoke when they were destroyed. We have to wait."

"But there is no reason why we can't keep him busy." Fred said with a small, bitter smile to his twin brother.

With a shared look they reached into their pockets, pulling out several palm sized balls.

"Let justice be served." George said, throwing one of the balls towards the feet of the dark wizard, who was now throwing curses as he strode towards the castle, his Death Eaters quickly following his lead. The ball exploded with a small flash of light and a large cloud of smoke, briefly hiding Voldemort's billowing cloak before he strode back into sight.

Within moments the twins had thrown several more of the small balls, and though they did nothing to stop the evil wizard's advance, it impaired his eyesight so much he had to slow down.

"Stand firm." Kingsley shouted to everyone standing near. "He is just a man. As mortal as the rest of us."

"Fools!" Voldemort cried as he neared. "You cannot harm me. I have done more to cheat death than any of you can imagine."

"Indeed!" McGonagall said, striding up between her former students to take her place at the front of the thick line of wizards and witches situated at the base of Hogwart's steps. "And we have done more than you can imagine to take those achievements away from you."

Voldemort stood before them, standing tall and imposing with a large sea of Death Eater's behind him, though those standing with their backs to the school could easily see that their defensive line greatly outnumbered those that threatened them. The feeling of dread and fear was leaving the defenders as quickly as the light was leaving the sky.

"You do realise your boy is up there, the golden boy of Gryffindor, bleeding to death?" Voldemort snarled. "Foolishly thinking that taking his own, worthless life will save your own?"

Hermione, who had been standing behind the line of Order members, gasped as she saw the dark cloud form over the Astronomy tower. Though her heart felt heavy through the loss of her friend, she spun and placed a hand on the back of Kingsley's robes.

"It's time." she muttered as he turned his head slightly towards her. "Harry… the horcrux has been destroyed."

Kingsley nodded. "Don't let up until he's good and gone." he said quietly to those standing near him. "Stay safe, but give the bastard what he deserves."

With a cry full of anguish and hate, Ron started the barrage of spells by sending one straight towards Voldemort. With a snarl the wizard pushed aside the curses with nothing more than a flick of his wrist but the sheer number of spells that followed, directed towards him by over a hundred wizards loyal to the school, soon caused his shield to collapse.

Voldemort screamed with inhuman strength as curses began to hit his skin, creating cuts and boils and causing bones to break. Within moments his body flew through the air and landed in a crumpled heap.

For several long seconds, the stream of curses continued before people realised that the strongest wizard of the age was unlikely to retaliate any further.

The spells slowly stopped, and an excited muttering started amongst the crowd. Several Death Eaters started to use port keys to get away, suddenly aware that they were on the losing side of the war. A few were prevented from going by a few sharp wizards still focused on defending the school, and they were quickly bound and left lying on the ground as the wonder of what had just happened began to engulf everyone present.

Hermione, Ron and the rest of the Order made their way closer to the pile of robes and flesh, semi-cautious that the wizard who had once been a student at the school was leading them into a false sense of security.

"It's over?" Fred asked a little numbly, staring down at the glazed red eyes of the dead wizard, but his mind thinking about his friend who had given his life to make this happen.

"I think so." Kingsley said, lowering himself to one knee to examine the body closer.

"Is there any way to guarantee it, though?" George asked. "After all, he came back last time."

The Order members looked at one another, understanding what it was that George was saying, but not wanting to believe that all they had been through, all they had given, may have been for nothing.

A sudden cry from above them made them look up, their hearts filling with a extraordinary sense of relief and joy at the sound, to see Fawkes making his way to the top of the astronomy tower.

"He's gone to help Harry!" Ron said with a small smile, but his smile faded as the fiery-red bird was soon seen swooping off the tower again, this time carrying something large in his talons.

The large bird swooped down to them, landing close to Voldemort's body and depositing Gryffindor's sword on the grass at Ron and Hermione's feet before hopping away, his head on one side as if inticing them to acknowledge the gift he had brought.

Several of the group gasped as they saw the blood on the blade, and with a broken heart Ron bent to lift the blade, his eyes filling with tears as his fingers became coated with the life blood of his friend that was still wet on the hilt.

With a cry he lifted the sword above his head, screaming "No!" as he let the blade fall.

Kingsley had to push himself back quickly, barely saving himself from being cut by the sword as Ron swung downwards, decapitating Voldemort's dead body with one, unnaturally easy sweep.

The group stared in shock, none more so that Ron who found himself still gripping the hilt of the sword firmly. He looked around, making eye contact with his closest friends, then realising a much larger crowd had gathered around them to confirm what was going on.

He quickly let go of the blade, jumping back in between his brothers and soon felt Hermione take his blood-coated fingers in her own.

"I don't think he's going to be coming back now." George quipped in the silence, and someone in the crowd around them began to clap.

Within moments, more people started clapping. A few cheers soon began to add to the applause, and soon the whole crowd was celebrating in earnest, hugging each other, tears of happiness streaming down their faces as they danced and laughed with relief.

But one group stayed silent. A few small smiles had been exchanged by those still standing in a circle around the body, but the relief of their new freedom was darkly overshadowed by the knowledge that one boy, their friend, had had to give his life so selflessly to make it happen.


	71. Epilogue

Epilogue:

It was a bright, late summers day that saw the majority of Britain's magical society gathered at the front of Hogwart's school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Rows upon rows of chairs had been lined up facing the old school building that was still standing firm and proud in the sunlight, though it was evident that there had been several repairs over the past few months due to the damage caused by the final battle.

Teams of wizards and magical creatures alike had worked hard to return the school and it's grounds to their former magnificence in the three months since the day Voldemort had died. The Prophet, with its usual insightful wisdom, had deemed the school as a symbol of society, and that by rebuilding it and restoring it's former glory was akin to society rebuilding itself without the darkness that had been shadowing it before.

The Ministry of magic had been completely overhauled by the new, now full-time minister, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Though it was work in progress, he had made sure that changes were going to be made to ensure muggle and pureblood divides would no longer to be tolerated, and that all magical creatures with an ability to communicate would treated as respectfully as any other wizard.

With the staff at the school supporting his ideals within a newly devised curriculum that helped muggle borns receive necessary training to be accepted into magical society and mandatory muggle classes for those born into magical families, Kingsley had also employed many of the Order of the Phoenix to assist him with the new laws and considerations that the Ministry would now abide by. Arthur Weasley had happily taken on the role of muggle liaison, visiting with the prime minister with his usual enthusiasm for all things muggle. Remus Lupin had also been employed as magical creature liaison, and for the first time in his life was able to use his education in a full-time magical job to assist those who had previously been frowned upon or deemed unworthy.

All in all, the basis of the "New World" as the Prophet had named it, had been set up in a very short time. There was still a long list of work to be done, but, just as the school's foundations stood strong and unyielding behind them, all things magical felt that this New Order was the right way forward.

This brought events up to this day in front of the school. The day had been nominated as a day of remembrance, honouring all those that had been lost during the years, and especially those who gave their lives in the final battle.

Kingsley stood on a stage at the front of the school, and turned another page of his notes on the great hall's phoenix-crested podium that had been moved outside for the occasion.

"As well as those who were lost." he said after a respectful amount of silence, his voice booming out over the crowd with a well-placed sonorous charm. "It is also important to remember others who have played an important role in allowing us to be here today. There were a great many people who have contributed in order to achieve the victory we now celebrate, but some deserve worthy mention.

"The first of these groups was created by Dumbledore himself. A group of people dedicated to seeing things how they were, without glamour, exaggeration or concealment. When the time came, they were the first to stand up, to defend what they knew to be right.

"The Order of the Phoenix were often ridiculed and ignored for their insistence on standing by the whims of an old, and possibly slightly senile, headmaster. But their bravery were second to none. There was nothing they wouldn't have done to protect this school, or the community, against the evils we faced. For their bravery, the Wizengamot award them each a Order of Merlin, second class."

He then called up each member of the Order, one at a time, making a small complimentary joke as he reached the long line of Weasley men and Molly. The crowd clapped enthusiastically for each name, and a loud round of applause and cheers congratulated the whole group as they stood proudly on the raised platform, large silver medals pinned to their chests.

"The second group I would like to recognise today have also shown bravery and dedication." Kingsley said, once the Order had retaken their seats and the crowd had calmed down. "Though they were refused the right to come down and fight in front of the school due to their age, they used all they had learned, and dare I say some of their own initiatives, to protect the school and the students within it.

"Once again, the group relate themselves to Albus Dumbledore by calling themselves Dumbledore's Army. But what was once started as extra-curricular defense class has now turned into a group of honest, well-disciplined and trustworthy young adults who proved their worth when the battle came to their door. I call forward the students of Dumbledore's Army to accept their awards for Special Services to the School."

The cheers that echoed around the school grounds were louder than those before, as parents, siblings and fellow students stood and cheered as Neville, Luna, Ginny and all the other DA members stepped up onto the stage and accepted their awards. Kingsley introduced every student individually, saying something about the work they had done to help protect the school that day and not one student was left out. This time it took a lot longer for the cheers to settle.

"The third group," Kingsley continued as soon as he was able. "Have refused to come up onto the stage to collect their award. This medal is given as recognition for a group of brave individuals who protect the school and it's occupants, laying down their lives without question should the need arise. We often take for granted that this group work for us, willingly and with no desire for payment other than the smallest amount of praise. This group worked hard alongside the students and staff here at the school to strengthen defenses and ensure all the younger children were taken to safety. I dedicate this oversized Award for Special Services to the School, to all the house elves of that work for Hogwarts and helped defend her and her students."

There was a hesitant start to the applause this time. For generations house elves had been seen as slaves, and it took the enthusiastic clapping and cheers from the DA and other Hogwart's students before the rest of the crowd broke out of their discriminatory upbringings to acknowledge the bravery of the small creatures that dedicated their lives to helping wizards and witches.

"Next, we move on to three individuals who, other than Dumbledore himself, played the most important roles in the defeat of Voldemort. They each have repeatedly shown their dedication and compassion when it comes to friendship and protecting others. They have proved on many occasions that they are courageous, clever and often foolish enough to see plans through to the end.

"First I give you a muggle-born witch, and possibly the most dedicated student to ever grace these school's halls. Intelligent and logical, I'm sure that she'll be known in the future for making great things happen. I am proud to present Miss Hermione Granger, with an Order of Merlin, First Class."

The round of applause was deafening as Hermione stepped up onto the stage, wearing her smartest school uniform and her hair tied back in a graceful knot. She smiled out over the appreciative crowd with a small flush to her cheeks, accepting Kingsley's handshake and kiss on the cheek as he magically pinned the Order to the front of her robes.

After a few moments, she took a step backwards, allowing Kingsley to introduce the next recipient.

"Secondly, I give you the last of the Weasley family. There isn't much that family wouldn't have done for each other and those they love, and this young man proves that. His dedication to his friends surpasses no other, and it is this young man we have to thank for delivering the final strike that ensured we would never be bothered by Voldemort ever again. I give you, Mister Ron Weasley."

Ron had never looked prouder as he stepped up onto the stage, his new robes billowing around him majestically as he accepted his award, smiling and nodding to his friends that he could see in the first few rows. All of his life he had felt that he had grown up in the shadow of his brothers, but this time the hundreds of people rising to their feet to show their gratitude were doing it solely for him. He turned and grinned at Hermione, who rolled her eyes slightly, but continued to clap for her boyfriend, glad that he was happy.

It took several more minutes and a few clownish bows from Ron before the crowd calmed down enough to retake their seats. A heavy anticipation fell over the crowd as they knew what was coming next.

Kingsley smoothed his expression over as he looked down at his notes in front of him, and at the final Order of Merlin that sat on the podium in front of him.

He took a deep breath, starting his next introduction in much more subdued tone. It was clear that the audience soon picked up on the change of mood, and several people started muttering amongst themselves as Kingsley spoke, passing questions to each other as they saw Ron and Hermione's smiles fade, and Ron reach out to squeeze Hermione's hand hard.

"The final Order of Merlin, First Class I would like to give tonight is dedicated to one young man. We have all been brought up on the miracle that happened when he was a baby, and the legend of the boy-who-lived followed him around from the moment he stepped back into the wizarding world to attend Hogwarts. For better and for worse, this young man turned into someone who, despite the distrust and hardships society had forced onto him, was willing to give his life to defend those within it. I am fortunate enough to have known the young man well enough to have seen how these responsibilities have weighed heavily on his shoulders. It amazes me how he managed to cope at all.

"I was advised to give some further explanation as to what happened that day during the final battle. I know the media has given brief statements as to what happened during the battle itself, but the final defeat of Voldemort was the ending of a long struggle, begun by Albus Dumbledore, and taken on by young Harry without complaint.

"The reason why Voldemort returned after being seemingly defeated that first time is because he had split his soul into seven pieces. Because his soul could never be completely destroyed, he would always be able to return. It may not always be in physical form, as he found out after that Halloween many years ago, but with further magic Voldemort was able to return his body back to a physical state and continue his tyranny from where he left off."

"Dumbledore found out about these shards of soul, or horcruxes as they are known, and worked hard to destroy them. He managed to locate several, and destroy one, before old age and illness caught up with him. Though he loathed to do it, he passed the responsibility for locating and destroying the horcruxes onto Harry and his friends, who spent the past year searching for and destroying them, paving the way to making Voldemort mortal again.

"Though the quest to seek out and destroy these horcruxes was not an easy one, the final challenge came when Harry discovered the location of the final horcrux. It seems that the fated Halloween night when Voldemort descended upon Godric's Hollow and killed the Potter's was the night that he placed a slither of his own soul into Harry. To defeat Voldemort, Potter knew he had to destroy that piece of soul held within him.

"Harry Potter took his own life the night the battle came to Hogwarts to ensure that Voldemort became mortal, and that we would all have a chance to survive and turn this society in one that can be proud of what we are. One that doesn't discriminate against muggle borns, half bloods, pure bloods, or any other magical breed. I dedicate this final Order of Merlin, First Class to Harry Potter, and pray that we remember how much he and others have sacrificed in order to give us the chance to turn our world into something they could be proud of."

He held up the Order medal into the air so that everyone could see. "Harry Potter." he said with a small smile and the crowd returned his call, every member in the crowd clapping with heartfelt appreciation.


	72. Epilogue II

**MUST READ AUTHOR NOTE!!**

_Well, it's over. I hope those of you that have stuck with it enjoyed it. I am fully aware that it is far from perfect, and that parts are written to a higher standard than others. To those dedicated few that have reviewed throughout, you have my heartfelt thanks, and hope to hear from you again should I start another mission! _

_A word of advice before you read the following. I nearly didn't post this additional bit of the Epilogue, as I felt it very much resembled that last little snippet from JK and I didn't want to destroy the feel of the ending. However, the choice is there if you want to read it, I won't stop you! But felt I couldn't leave the story without actually confirming what had happened to Harry. _

_Again, thanks to all that have read this story. Please drop me a review if you enjoyed it. Kit. xx  
_

* * *

Additional ending:

Harry looked down from the bay window of his private room at the end of Hogwart's hospital ward. He could clearly see the crowd cheering and clapping as each award was handed out. Part of him wished he was down there clapping with pride as his friend accepted their medals, but the rest of him was intensely relieved to be apart from all the attention.

He turned his head slightly as he heard the door to the ward creak open, and his lips spread into a thin smile as he sensed a presence walking up behind him.

"I would have thought you would be down there accepting your medal." Snape said, coming into view and leaning against the opposite side of the window from where Harry sat. His voice was full of the old taunting that Harry remembered so well, but seemed somehow warmer since the potion's professor had saved his life.

"I could say the same for you." Harry retorted.

Snape shrugged. "I was happy to accept mine in private." he said. "Things may be changing, but I don't think that the public would ever be overjoyed seeing the man who murdered the greatest headmaster this school has seen be awarded an Order of Merlin. What's your excuse?"

Harry shrugged but looked down again at the gathering below. "They expect to see a hero." he said, speaking with a low and steady pace, as if he were carefully thinking of each word before speaking. "They don't want to see the hollowed out shell of a teenage boy. There's a lot that I need to sort out before I face the public again. Just the thought of seeing their faces filled with sympathy and shock would be enough to…"

He broke off, his voice disappearing into a silent hiss as he closed his eyes and lent his head tiredly against the window. It had been a tough three months for his recovery. The first four weeks he had been kept under the effects of the draught Snape had given him, no pulse or breath giving evidence that his body still lived. Only the lack of decomposition had proven to his friends that Snape had given him the potion in time, but even though the first step had been taken to keep him alive, the second was a much harder one to take.

Snape had been working on an adaptation of the Draught of Living Death as soon as he knew that Harry would have to take it if he were to have the chance to survive. He had mixed a vial of Phoenix tears, donated by Fawkes not long before Dumbledore died, into the mixture in the hope that they would have some effect on healing Harry's body whilst under the influence of the potion and making it possible to awaken the youth without further risk to life once the wound in the stomach had healed.

In hindsight, Snape wished that he had told Harry of this adaptation to the potion he was going to give him. The depth of the sword thrust Harry had performed gave Snape little hope that the wound would heal enough before the time came to bring Harry out of his induced death. Time was crucial, as research on the Draught of Living Death indicated that the longer someone was under the influence of the false death, the more likely there would be some mental problems or characteristic changes. Snape had made it clear to Harry's friends from the start that, should the boy ever wake up again, then he was unlikely to be the same person that they once knew.

Even though the potion was supposed to freeze the body in a death-like state, Snape's thoughtful addition of the phoenix tears proved rewarding as the wound to Harry's abdomen slowly began to heal. As soon as it had healed to a point that Madame Pomfrey and Snape felt they could keep Harry alive, the pair had administered the antidote for the draught.

Snape had made sure that none of Harry's closest friends were present when he administered the antidote, just in case nothing happened or Harry really passed away. He and Madame Pomfrey had hovered with concern over the body for several long minutes before they were rewarded with the smallest rasping breath from Harry's body. From that moment on, they worked hard to coax life into the cold flesh, but had been unable to bring Harry back to consciousness that day.

Harry remained comatose for the best part of the next month. He had constant company from his friends who spoke to him, speaking nonsense and keeping him updated of the repairs to the school and society, but he did nothing more than continue to breath by himself.

His body began to waste away, despite the strongest efforts from the school's medi-witch, Snape and a select team from St Mungos. It wasn't long before his youthful, toned body looked nothing more than a skeleton. His face became pale, with dark lips and dark rings around his closed eyes. The large scar on the side of his face, the wound at the base of his chest and several others around his body reopened and began to fester due to the lack of nutrition and healthy blood flowing through his veins.

His closest friends were tearfully bracing themselves for the inevitable when Harry surprised them all one day by opening his eyes. It was clear he wasn't able to focus on much, even when they placed his glasses on the end of his nose, but from that moment on they all increased their efforts to bring him back, and very slowly the Harry they remembered began to return.

Harry sighed as the crowd began to move away from their seats below him. "It's over." he said, changing the topic with a quiet voice that Snape and the others had become accustomed to that over the past few days since Harry had began to speak again.

Snape sensed a deeper meaning to Harry's words as the boy spoke, and he examined Harry's face with a calculating air, wondering what was going through the boy's mind.

"You sound as if you didn't want to come back." Snape said, deciding that being direct would be the best way to assess Harry's mood.

Harry didn't respond, just continued staring down at the dispersing crowds and the party that was beginning to start in a big marquee set to the side of the lake.

"You must understand that I had to try." Snape said when Harry didn't speak. "After Dumbledore I…"

Harry turned to him and smiled a small smile. It was nothing more than a gentle lifting of the corners of his lips, but it was an expression Harry had been giving regularly since he had reawakened.

"I understand." he said. "And please believe me when I say that I am grateful for all you have done. I would love to say that I've been to a place that's light and that's why I want to go back. I would love to say that I've seen my parents, and Dumbledore, and Sirius…" his voice drifted off again as his thoughts began to stray. "But honestly," he finally said "I don't remember anything. I couldn't hear anything, feel anything. But in a way that was good."

He glanced to Snape to see if the potion's master could understand what he was trying to stay. "Before, there was so much pressure and responsibility to do what was right. All I feel now is that there is something missing. Though my body aches, there is no pain in my scar and the moods I feel are my own, and yet it feels strange. What am I supposed to do? It is almost as if I no longer have a purpose. I've spent the past year or more so focused on Voldemort that I've neglected my education and my life and my friends." he looked back to the window, his eyes filling up with unwelcome tears. "I just feel that it would have been easier if you had left me alone."

Snape thought for a few moments as he watched the ailing youth in front of him. "The first steps aren't always the easiest to take, Harry." he said. "The first steps of any journey are always the most feared, because who knows where the next step, or the step after that is going to take you?"

He came closer to Harry and put his hand on the boy's shoulder, mindful of the frail body and pain that he would cause if he squeezed too hard. "Think of this as a second chance for a life that has been denied you since your parents died. You have to take the first step by getting yourself healthy enough to take the next step. You can then fill up the void you feel with whatever new comes your way. There is no rush for the rest of your life, Harry, and be assured that your friends will be there with you to assist whenever you need them."

Harry stayed thoughtful for a few moments before nodding in reluctant agreement. "But what if I'm the sort of person that needs a purpose to survive?"

Snape smiled. "Then we, as your friends, will make sure that you are forever bombarded with near impossible tasks to keep your life challenging." he said and pointed to the bed. "Starting with getting your sorry backside back into bed where it belongs."

Harry smirked slightly. "I made it over here by myself." he pointed out.

"Says the boy who was unable to walk to the bathroom unaided only yesterday." Snape reminded him.

Harry swung his legs off the ledge upon which he was sitting and looked down at them. He ran his eyes over the scars on his hands before nodding to himself again. "Maybe I'm just a quick healer."

"I think you are once you put your mind to it." Snape agreed. "We can set quick and dedicated healing as a task to achieve if you so wish?"

They were interrupted by a loud bang from the ward past the closed door to Harry's private room, and the sound of excited chatter filled the area as a large group of Harry's friends walked towards them.

"Are you ready for them?" Snape asked with slight concern, one eyebrow raised as Harry stared with a slightly blank expression at the door. "I can tell them you are sleeping if you want some time?"

Harry visibly shook himself slightly and rose to the challenge with a smile. "Near impossible task number two, right?" he asked.

"Three." the man who had saved Harry's life corrected with an air of approval. "The first is to get yourself back into bed, remember?"

The sensation of Harry's genuine smile created a spark of warmth in the boy that he hadn't felt since he had woken up from his coma. As Snape helped him stand and take the steps across the room on shaky legs he felt the residual feelings of what he had lived through get cast away. And when his friends stormed into the room moments later with their usual raucous abandon, laughing with amazement when they saw him on his feet, he felt as if the world had turned to a new start; the beginning of a new journey, and who knew what the next step would bring?


End file.
